Correcting Mistakes
by potterlad81
Summary: At the end of his rope, Harry makes a desperate bid to reclaim his life... all of it. A brief time travel fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Correcting Mistakes**

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter et al. Sad, but true.

 **Prologue: Betrayal**

Harry was livid. A random screening had found it; a one in a million chance. The DMLE routinely screened for potions, curses, and other hidden, but potentially damaging magics that would lie in wait and injure Aurors when they least expected it.

Five percent of the Auror Corps were screened every month. There was a series of twenty of the most common potions and curses that were always tested for. Another twenty additional potions and curses were also screened for each month, selected at random from a list of over a hundred such things.

Harry's random test the previous month had detected a loyalty potion in his system. He'd gotten word the day before, when the results had come back. He'd been immediately hustled back to testing for a full workup. That's when the love potion had been detected. Further testing had indicated that both potions were keyed to one person: Ginny Potter.

Earlier that day, she'd been arrested, and was in holding cell awaiting trial. She'd admitted under veritasserum to having conspired with her mother to snag Harry. Molly had made the potions, and she'd administered them, as far back as Harry's fourth year, gradually increasing the dose each year. Ron had helped, she'd claimed; slipping Harry the stuff when they'd been on the run in 1996 and 1997. She'd even admitted the reason: money. Those admissions themselves were both damning, but the real kick in the marbles had been when she'd admitted to carrying on an affair with Dean Thomas since their 'break up' in her fifth year.

The hunt was on for Molly and Ron, and Aurors had been dispatched to pick them up. Ginny had also admitted that Ron had been dosing Hermione with love and loyalty potions as well, also with his mother's help. She'd further said that her mother had gotten the idea for the whole thing from Dumbledore, though she couldn't say when. Her mother had dropped that bomb after Dumbledore had passed, when Ginny had wanted to get back together with Dean openly.

It was all more than Harry could bear. After watching the interrogation of his wife from the far side of a one-way mirror, he'd been encouraged by his boss to take the rest of the day off. He immediately apparated to Grimmauld Place. He didn't usually spend time there, but it was one place he knew he could be alone. He barged into the library, and paced angrily, practically wearing a groove in the floor. Finally, he settled enough to flop back into a high backed chair to think.

It was there, ensconced in the library, that he found the solution to all his problems. He'd absentmindedly been flipping through a random book, wondering how deep all this went, and how far back, when he spotted a spell. _Tergum in Tempus_. Time… back in time. Intrigued, he started reading. The spell, done inside a ritual circle drawn in blood, would send the consciousness of the caster back to a certain point in time. The caster merely drew the circle in their own blood, focused on the time they wished to return to, pointed their wand upward, and recited the spell.

Harry quickly re-read the passage on the spell. There were no known side effects listed, and he wondered why. He looked at the cover of the book; it was the Black Family Grimoir. No wonder he'd never heard of this spell before, it was family magic. He briefly wondered whether he should perform the spell or not, but then recalled that his entire life had been absolute shite, except for the last few years, which had suddenly turned to ashes. Gryffindor's charge!

He returned the book to the shelf, used his wand to cut his hand, and dribbled blood in a circle around him. With one last look around the room, he closed his eyes and pictured a time in his life when he'd been happy. He thrust his wand into the air, called up his magic, and shouted, " _Tergum in Tempus_!"

 **Chapter 1: Re-birth**

A thunderous noise awoke him. Harry shot bolt upright, taking in his surroundings. He knew immediately the spell had worked, as he was sitting in the cabin on the island Uncle Vernon had drug the family to on his eleventh birthday. He looked down, and saw his eleven-year-old self, clad in clothes way too big for him. Then the door burst open, and Harry saw Hagrid. A huge grin sprang to his face. Harry waxed nostalgic as Hagrid introduced himself and gave Dudley a pig tail. It wasn't until Hagrid had him at the entrance to Gringotts later that morning that things really changed.

"Hello," Hagrid said to the teller. "We'd like to visit Harry Potter's vault. And then I need to visit vault…"

"I'm sorry," Harry interrupted, before Hagrid could conclude the conversation. "I have an account here?" he asked innocently.

"Of course the Potters have an account here," the goblin responded.

"Do I have an account manager?" Harry pressed, knowing full well the answer.

"Of course," the goblin acknowledged.

"Erm," Hagrid hemmed, shifting his feet.

"Might it speak with him?" Harry asked, ignoring Hagrid's discomfort. "I apologize for not having an appointment, but I didn't know about my account until today."

"Wait here," the goblin replied. "I'll see if he's available." With that, the teller hopped off his stool and disappeared.

"Harry," Hagrid said at last, "I don' know if we've got time for yeh te meet wit' yehr accoun' manager today."

"But shouldn't I know what I have?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore'll let yeh know abou' all tha'," Hagrid dismissed his concerns.

"I don't even know this Dumbledore fellow, Hagrid," Harry responded. "What if you took care of your business while I meet with my account manager? It shouldn't take too long, I'd imagine. I mean, I can't have that much money. My Aunt and Uncle would be way better off if I did, right? This way, Dumbledore won't even have to bother explaining it to me. I promise I won't leave Gringotts without you."

Hagrid shifted uncomfortably, and hemmed and hawed a bit, but finally said, "A'right."

It was then that the teller returned, hopping back up on his stool.

"Ripclaw is your account manager," the goblin said. "He is available now. Proceed through the double doors to your left. His office is the second on the right."

"Thank you," Harry replied. He nodded to Hagrid and disappeared down the familiar corridor. He knocked on the proper door.

"Enter!" came the expected command. Ripclaw was nothing if not predicable. Harry entered, and crossed the room to Ripclaw's desk. Ripclaw sat behind the large polished wood desk in a high-backed chair that made him look very small. Harry suppressed a grin.

"I apologize for the unexpected visit," Harry began. "I only just learned of my account with Gringotts today, and thought that I should review it with my account manager."

"I'm surprised you didn't know," Ripclaw replied. "We've sent you account updates every year since 1982." Harry suddenly realized what had happened, and why. He inwardly groaned at Dumbledore's manipulations.

"I have received no updates," Harry replied innocently. "In fact, I have received no mail at all before my Hogwarts letter."

"Curious," Ripclaw observed. "Perhaps you have a mail block on you."

"Can you check?" Harry asked, continuing the charade.

"Prick your finger on this," Ripclaw instructed, pulling a dish with a pin sticking out of it from a drawer and pushing it towards Harry. Harry pricked his finger and magic pulsed from it. Several puffs of smoke rose from the dish in various colours. "There's the mail block," Ripclaw observed. "Were you aware that your magic was bound?"

"What!?" Harry shouted. "Can you fix the block and the binding?"

"I can fix those and the tracking charms, all for a small fee," Ripclaw agreed.

"How small?" Harry asked, not shocked by the tracking charms, and willing to pay almost anything.

"One hundred galleons," Ripclaw answered.

"Fifty galleons," Harry shot back, knowing the goblins liked a haggler.

"Eighty galleons," Riplclaw countered.

"Seventy galleons, "Harry replied.

"Seventy-five galleons. Final offer," Ripclaw stated.

"Done," Harry agreed, and they shook hands.

"It's nice to see someone as young as you so keen on saving their money," Ripclaw observed as he waved his hands in an intricate pattern. He continued for a moment, before frowning. "You have someone else's soul within you."

"Is it my parent's murderer?" Harry asked, knowing the truth.

"I cannot tell," Ripclaw replied.

"Can you remove it?" Harry pressed.

"I cannot," Ripclaw replied. "But I can bind it so it cannot draw on your power."

"Please do so," Harry agreed. He'd not known the goblins could do that. You learn something new every day, Harry reasoned. A moment later, Harry was seated, and Ripclaw was pulling several books and documents out of a drawer.

"Here is the Potter family account book," Ripclaw said, passing over the book. "This is the Peverell family account book. This is the Evans family account book," he continued, passing over a much larger book and a much thinner book. "This is your Black family juvenile trust account book, and this is your Potter family juvenile trust account book." He passed two more thin books over.

"Did my parents leave a will?" Harry asked. Even in his past life he'd never seen it. It hadn't seemed important.

"They did," Ripclaw answered, pulling out another document. "But the official copy was sealed by the Wizengamot at the request of Albus Dumbledore. It was never read."

"Who can unseal it?" Harry asked, suspecting the answer.

"The Wizengamot, or your guardian," Ripclaw answered. "Fortunately, I have another copy of the will here for you. It was left in our care by your parents." He passed it over.

Harry unfolded the parchment, and began reading. The will had been written two weeks before their deaths. After skipping through the legalese at the beginning he finally got to the heart of the information. His parents clearly stated that they were hiding under the Fidelius charm in Godric's Hollow, and that the spell had been cast by Albus Dumbledore and the secret keeper was Peter Pettigrew. Then he got to the bequests, and his face darkened. The executor was to be Sirius Black, or an attorney named Edward Tonks if Sirius was unavailable. Harry was to be placed with Sirius Black, his godfather, or failing that, Alice Longbottom, his godmother. If either of those people were unavailable, he was to be placed with any living Longbottom. All money and property was to go to Harry, save a two thousand galleon per annum stipend to be paid to his guardian for his upkeep. Harry was to be emancipated at fifteen to take up his duties as head of house. The will was witnessed by Sirius Black, Alice Longbottom, and Albus Dumbledore.

"May I have a copy of this will to take with me?" Harry asked.

"You may keep that copy," Ripclaw replied. "There is another in the Potter files."

Harry nodded, and started looking through his account books. Harry hadn't taken much of an interest in his accounts before, and had never looked through his books. He'd left that to Ginny. He knew he had multiple accounts, but had continued to use the Potter trust vault, since it was easier. Here his face darkened again. There were monthly deductions of one thousand galleons from the Potter main account starting in November 1981. The annotation next to those transaction read 'Dumbledore Family Account (1254)'. There were also annual deductions of five thousand galleons from the Potter main account starting in January 1982. The annotation next to these transactions read 'Dumbledore - Dursley Account (123131)'. There was also the removal from the vault of a 'wand, elder' and a 'cloak, invisibility' noted in November 1981.

He flipped through the other account books, but noted no activity other than growth.

"Why are there withdrawals from the Potter family account, but none of the others?" Harry asked.

"Your appointed guardian, Albus Dumbledore, was not informed of the other accounts," Ripclaw replied.

"Not informed?" Harry asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Mr. Potter, I've read the will," Ripclaw explained patiently. "I know who is supposed to be your guardian. I know that it's not Dumbledore. I also know how much your guardian is supposed to be taking from your accounts. I suspected when he breezed through that door in November 1981 that he planned on robbing you blind, and my suspicions were confirmed. When he asked to see the Potter accounts, I showed him the Potter accounts: the family account and your Potter family juvenile trust account. I didn't tell him about the Peverell, Evans, or Black family juvenile trust accounts because he didn't ask about them specifically. I can't do anything about his theft, because until the will is published, it's not technically theft."

"Damn," Harry swore softly.

"Yes," Ripclaw agreed.

"Can you recover all my vault keys that are out?" Harry asked. "If he's taking money from my accounts, he must have a key." With a snap of his fingers, Ripclaw made two vault keys appear on his desk. The smaller one Harry recognized as his trust vault key. The other was larger, and he assumed was the family vault key. "Can you restrict access to the vaults to Potter family only, and restrict fund transfers to the limits set in the will on my instruction?" Harry asked.

"Without the will being published, my hands are tied," Ripclaw replied. "But I will continue to monitor the outflow of cash, and record every knut and item removed from your vaults until the will is published. Then we can seize it back with interest." A feral grin appeared on Ripclaw's face.

"I assume I'm restricted from withdrawing funds from any account besides my trust accounts until I'm emancipated?" Harry asked. He received a nod. "Can I transfer funds between accounts before I'm emancipated?" Harry asked. Again, he received a nod, and another feral grin. "In that case, I'd like to transfer all the funds, save ten thousand galleons, from the Potter family account to the Peverell family account. I also ask that you not annotate the transfer destination on the Potter family account ledger."

"It shall be done," Ripclaw agreed.

"I'll also need a thousand galleons from the Potter trust account," Harry continued. A snap of his fingers, and a sack of galleons appeared on the desk. "So much easier than the cart ride Hagrid told me about," Harry commented. "Ripclaw, I thank you for your time. It's been a pleasure. If there's nothing else, may your gold flow and your enemies fall."

"If I didn't know any better, Mr. Potter, I'd say you'd spoken to goblins before," Ripclaw observed.

"This is the first time in my life," Harry replied with a wink. Then he was out the door. Hagrid was waiting for him, and saw the bag of galleons. He didn't even realize he'd neglected to hand over Harry's vault key.

When the duo left Gringotts, they walked down Diagon Alley, and Harry purchased his robes, books, and supplies. They also stopped at Twilfitt and Tattings, at Harry's insistence, and Harry got an entirely new wardrobe. He placed the new garments in his trunk, and vowed privately not to wear them where the Dursleys could see. The wand went quickly after Harry whispered to Ollivander that he thought holly and phoenix feather might do the trick after they'd tried three other wands. Ollivander gave him a queer look on the way out the door, but said nothing. Hagrid went ahead and presented Harry with Hedwig. On their way out of the alley, Harry spotted his next destination: Tonks, Beard, and Smith Solicitors.

That night, Hagrid returned Harry to Privet Drive. The Dursleys refused to even speak with him. Harry was ignored while the Dursleys made plans to take Dudley to a specialist the next day to remove his pig tail. He woke up early the next morning for breakfast. Then Harry made a break for it, leaping over the back garden fence and fleeing into the neighborhood. He found a secluded spot and called the Knight Bus, riding it to the Leaky Cauldron. Casting a wandless notice-me-not charm on himself, he marveled at how easy wandless magic was for his eleven-year-old self. He supposed that the removal of the block, knowledge of the spell, and the belief that the spell would work, made it work just as well as it would've for adult Harry. Notice-me-not charm in place, Harry entered the Leaky Cauldron and passed through to Diagon Alley. He quickly made for the solicitors office and cancelled the notice-me-not charm.

"Hello," the secretary said as he closed the door behind himself. "Are you lost?" Harry placed her in her early twenties, blonde, a little on the chubby side. He had never met her before, but that didn't surprise him, as he'd never used Ted Tonks' legal services before.

"No," Harry replied, walking up to her desk. "I'm here to see Mr. Tonks."

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked, looking briefly at her calendar.

"No," Harry answered. "I wasn't able to make an appointment, but this is important. I believe my family might have retained Mr. Tonks' services."

"I'll see if he's available," the secretary told him. "What's your name?"

"Harry Potter," he replied, grinning inwardly as her eyes bugged out of her head. Without another word the secretary hurried down the hall. Almost immediately she returned with a slightly younger looking Ted in tow.

"Mr. Potter," he said, extending his hand. "It's so nice to meet you."

"Thank you Mr. Tonks," Harry replied. "I was wondering if I might sit down with you. I've had a bit of a shock, and need some legal advice."

"Of course," Mr. Tonks said with a smile. "Right this way." Mr. Tonks then led Harry back to his office, a cramped affair with bookshelves lining both side walls, and a small window across the back. Harry took the offered seat.

"Until yesterday, I didn't know the magical world existed," Harry began, shocking Mr. Tonks. "I went to Gringotts yesterday, where I discovered I had an account there, that I had several bank accounts, and that my parents were also magical and had left a will. That will, I was told, was sealed by the Wizengamot. There was an unsealed copy amongst my parents account papers," Harry passed it across to Ted. "I was also told that a man named Albus Dumbledore was my guardian. All my life, I've been told by my muggle aunt, with whom I live, that my parents were degenerate drunks who'd been killed in a traffic accident. I must conclude that isn't the case. Furthermore, judging by the list of people who were supposed to be my guardians in the event of their deaths, as well as the amount of money Mr. Dumbledore has removed from my accounts every month, and the fact that I had a mail block and a bind on my magic, I have to assume that Mr. Dumbledore has some sort of nefarious plot to ruin either myself or my family."

Through his initial explanation, Mr. Tonks remained silent, but became increasingly unsettled as Harry proceeded. When Harry finished, Mr. Tonks opened the will and began reading.

"Sweet Morgana," Mr. Tonks swore under his breath. "What is it you want my help with exactly?"

"I want Albus Dumbledore to burn," Harry replied coldly. "Get my parents' will published. Get Sirius Black out of Azkaban. Have his guardianship over me restored. Finally, I want my family's money back. He's stolen one hundred seventy thousand galleons, a wand and a cloak from me and I want it all back."

"That'll be quite a challenge," Mr. Tonks replied. "Do you know who Albus Dumbledore is?"

"I do," Harry informed him. "I'll have Gringotts forward you copies of the relevant documents showing theft. You have a copy of the will. If it were me acting alone, I'd pass copies of everything to the _Daily Prophet_ , the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and the Minister for Magic, but if you have a better suggestion, I'd be happy to hear it."

"Are you sure you just found out you were magical yesterday?" Mr. Tonks asked skeptically. "You seem to have a very good understanding of our world for someone so new. I don't know if the _Prophet_ would print it, and without…"

"The goblins gave me a very good lesson yesterday, Mr. Tonks," Harry replied, brushing the question off. "Besides, if you were screwed over as masterfully as my family was, wouldn't you learn everything you could about how to fix it? I wouldn't worry about the _Daily Prophet_ , though. I found out yesterday I own sixty percent of it."

"Touché," Mr. Tonks replied chuckling.

"As for the rest…" Harry trailed off.

"I'll pass the information along to Amelia Bones and Minister Fudge, as well as the _Daily Prophet_ ," Mr. Tonks agreed.

"When you talk to Madam Bones," Harry suggested, "recommend she review Sirius Black's trial transcripts."

"I'll do that," Mr. Tonks said, giving Harry an odd look.

"Good," Harry said. "Now, what do I have to do to get you put on retainer for me?"

"The Potter family is already on retainer, or was before 1981," Mr. Tonks said. "We'll just reactivate the account."

"Ok," Harry agreed. "If there's nothing else, I'll just pop over to Gringotts and have Ripclaw send you copies of the pertinent paperwork." With that, Harry left, leaving an astonished Ted Tonks in his wake.

During Harry's brief stop at Gringotts he made sure Ripclaw would send Mr. Tonks the copies he needed. He also wrote out a transcript of the prophecy, along with pertinent details, such as who gave it, when, and to whom. Harry then instructed this also be passed along to Mr. Tonks. He also retrieved his Potter family and Black family heir rings. He pretended to act surprised when Ripclaw told him he was the Black heir as well.

As he was stepping out of Gringotts, he looked over to Florean Fortescue's and saw Augusta and Neville Longbottom sitting there. Harry walked over.

"Excuse me," Harry said, feigning ignorance. "I'm a little lost. Could you help me?" He put his hands on the back of the chair in front of him, making sure Augusta could see his rings. She almost immediately gasped. Her eyes went from his black hair and green eyes to his mostly-hidden scar to the rings on his fingers. She leaned in.

"Are you Harry Potter?" she asked in a low voice. Harry nodded. "My name is Augusta Longbottom, and I've been looking for you for a long time."

"It's nice to meet you Madam Longbottom," Harry replied. "I only found out I was magical yesterday. Since then I've been to Gringott's twice, and learned quite a bit about myself and my family. Are you related to Alice Longbottom?" He tried to appear innocent.

"She's my daughter-in-law," Madam Longbottom replied sadly. "She was your godmother."

"She was supposed to become my guardian," Harry said.

"I know," Madam Longbottom said. "Alice told me. You should have been raised with us." She put an arm around Neville. "This is my grandson, Neville. You used to play together when you were infants."

"Hello, Neville," Harry said, extending a hand. "It's nice to meet you. Are you going to Hogwarts this year too?"

"Y…Yes," Neville acknowledged, gaining confidence slowly. "It's nice to meet you too, Harry."

"Would you like to come back to Long Hall with us?" Madam Longbottom asked. "We might talk away from prying eyes and ears."

"I'd like that, Madam Longbottom," Harry replied with a grin.

Harry spent the rest of the day chatting with the Longbottoms about anything and everything. He explained as much of his situation as he could, and listened to Madam Longbottom describe wizarding politics and the wizarding government. While Harry knew most of it, he still learned a bit. He hadn't been very political the last time around. He also picked up some new information about his family. She pledged her support for Harry, and promised to cooperate with Mr. Tonks as much as she could to press matters with the DMLE and the Wizegamot. After supper Harry politely declined the Longbottoms' invitation to stay the rest of the holiday with them, and Madam Longbottom apparated him back to Privet Drive. He thanked her, and walked into the house, ensconcing himself in his bedroom without seeing his relatives.

The next morning, Harry again quit 4 Privet Drive, this time riding a bus, and then the train to the Richmond neighborhood of London that he knew Hermione called home. He then walked from the station to Hermione's house. He observed it briefly as he passed by, but didn't approach it. He instead went to the nearby park, Richmond Green, where he knew Hermione spent a good deal of time reading during the summers.

It took him all of five minutes of looking once he'd reached the park to find her. She was seated under what she'd described as her favorite tree, reading. He started over to her. Before he reached her, however, she was approached by three other girls. Harry couldn't hear what they were saying, but it obviously wasn't nice, judging by Hermione's reaction. One of the girls knocked the book she was reading out of her hands.

"Oi!" Harry shouted, as he picked up the pace. "What's your problem? Leave her alone."

"What do you care?" one of the girls asked as he pulled up.

"Maybe I just don't like slags like you hassling my friends," Harry shot back.

"Oh yeah?" another girl asked, "What are you gonna do about it?"

"Well, my dad's a copper, so…" Harry said, leaving the rest to their imagination.

"Screw him," the third girl said. "Let's go. This aren't fun anymore. See ya 'round ya naff bint."

"Wanker," the second called as a parting shot.

"Thank you," Hermione said, reaching for her book. Harry got to it first.

" _Hogwarts: A History_ , eh?" Harry asked, picking it up and handing it to her. He looked around quickly, seeing they were practically alone. "So'd you get your wand yet?"

"Ex…Excuse me?" Hermione stuttered, glancing around.

"Are you a witch or not?" Harry asked with a grin.

"How…How do you know about that?" she asked.

"Well, I'm a wizard, aren't I?" Harry replied. Then he stuck out his hand. "Harry Potter, at your service."

"You're Harry Potter?" she asked incredulously. Harry merely brushed aside his fringe, showing her his scar. He again extended his hand, which she finally shook. Her face relaxed, and she finally smiled. "Hermione Granger. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Then she got a confused look on her face. "Wait… I read your parents were killed. How's your dad a police officer?"

"Call it a little white lie to help out a friend," Harry replied.

"Friend?" Hermione asked.

"Well…" Harry prevaricated. "Would you like to be friends? I haven't got many, you see, and I can always use another." Hermione pondered for a moment, as if trying to determine whether he was serious or not before she smiled.

"I would," she replied at last. "Care to sit?" And so Harry and Hermione whiled away the morning chatting, and soon fell into the easy camaraderie that Harry remembered so fondly from his earlier school years. They had lunch at a nearby chip shop before Hermione took him home with her.

"Mum and dad are at the surgery until five," Hermione explained. "Would you like to stay for dinner? I can ring them up and ask if it's ok." Harry agreed, so Hermione rang her mum, who was over the moon that Hermione had made a friend. Upon ringing off, Hermione showed Harry her room and her book collection. They spent the balance of the afternoon watching the telly until her parents returned home.

"Mum! Dad!," Hermione nearly shouted when they walked in the door. "I'd like you to meet my friend, Harry Potter." Harry waved from behind Hermione.

"Hello Dr. and Dr. Granger," Harry said.

"Well, come out and let us have a proper look at you," Mrs. Granger said. "And none of this Dr. and Dr. business. It's Mr. and Mrs. or we'll both be looking up all evening."

"Harry's magical too," Hermione informed them. "Just like me!"

"Is it all magicals that have untamable hair, or are you and Hermione just two peas in a pod?" Mr. Granger asked upon observing the young man before him.

"I'm afraid it's just us, Mr. Granger," Harry replied, grinning at Hermione.

Mrs. Granger made spaghetti. While the dinner was being prepared, Mr. Granger continued to pepper Harry with questions in the living room.

"Do you live around here?" he asked.

"No," Harry replied. "I'm out in Surry."

"How'd you get to London?" Mr. Granger pressed.

"A bus and the train," Harry replied. "It only took about an hour."

"Do your parents know you're here?" Mr. Granger asked.

"My parents are dead," Harry replied. "I live with my Aunt and Uncle and Cousin."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mr. Granger commented. "Do your aunt and uncle know you're here?"

"No," Harry sighed. "They're not the nicest people. I've just found out I'm a wizard, and they went round the twist about it. They did finally move me out of the cupboard under the stairs and into my cousin's spare bedroom. Uncle Vernon was upset when my Hogwarts letter came address to 'Harry Potter, the Cupboard Under the Stairs, 4 Privet Drive.' I went to Diagon Alley two days ago with Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts. Then I ran away yesterday, and went back to Diagon Alley. Today I was planning on doing some sightseeing around London, which I've never done before, but I ran into Hermione before I saw anything."

"Wait a tick," Mr. Granger said, pausing. "Your aunt and uncle made you live in a cupboard?"

"From as far back as I can remember," Harry affirmed. "It's big enough for a mattress, and I'm pretty small."

"Do they hit you?" he continued.

"Not usually," Harry said. "But they do yell a lot. I have to do most of the chores around the house. I sort of wonder who's done the cooking the last three days."

After a delicious dinner, Mr. Granger drove Harry home. Harry could see him frown from the driver's seat when Harry was cuffed by Uncle Vernon when he was let into the house. Harry had gotten the Granger's phone number and been instructed to call if things got too difficult. Harry chose not to use it. He'd established contact with Hermione, which had been his primary objective. Vernon's beatings weren't unusually severe, and he was able to sneak out of his room at night to eat in contravention of Petunia's instructions as the bedroom door didn't have any locks on it yet.

Two days after Harry's visit with the Grangers, there was a knock on the door. Petunia yelled for Harry to answer it.

"Hello?" Harry asked as he opened the door, revealing two constables.

"Hello," the male officer said. "Are you Harry Potter?"

"Yes," Harry replied, curious.

"Are your aunt and uncle home?" he continued.

"My aunt is," Harry replied. "My uncle's at work."

"May we come in and speak with her?" the constable asked. Harry merely opened the door, nodded, and left to find his aunt.

"Aunt Petunia," he said, when he got to the back garden, "There's some police here, and they want to talk to you."

"Oh, bugger," Petunia swore. "What on earth have you done now?" Harry shrugged, and followed her back into the house. The constables were in the hallway; the female officer, a short Indian woman, was observing the locks on the cupboard under the stairs. "Officers, I'm Petunia Dursley," she said breezily. "What can I do for you?"

"We're here to investigate claims that your nephew has been abused under your care under section 47 of the Children Act of 1989," the male officer said. Petunia's eyes bugged out. "We've been informed by a Dr. Daniel Granger of Richmond, London, that he has reason to believe that your nephew was given substandard care, and exposed to violence at the hands of yourself and your husband." While he was speaking, the female officer was looking Harry over. "Would you please step into the parlor while my partner conducts an interview?"

"I… I…" Petunia sputtered as she was guided by the male officer into her own parlor. "That's preposterous! I've never even heard of a Dr. Granger in London! How would he know anything about us?"

When they were gone, the female officer looked at him.

"Can you remove your shirt?" she asked. "I want to check you for bruises." Harry nodded and pulled the oversized t-shirt off. There were several bruises on his body and shoulders, including some that looked suspiciously fist-shaped. "I need you to be honest with me," she continued. "Do your aunt and uncle hit you?"

"My uncle mostly," Harry replied. "My aunt not a lot."

"When was the last time you were hit?" she pressed.

"Yesterday evening when Uncle Vernon got home from work," Harry replied, pointing to a bruise on his shoulder.

"Why were you hit?" she asked.

"He said it was what I deserved for being a freak," Harry replied. "He was still angry that I'd run off the day before."

"You can put your shirt back on," the officer said. As he complied, she continued. "We received reports that you lived in a cupboard under the stairs. Is that it?"

"Well," Harry prevaricated. "I did do, until my birthday last week. Now I live in my cousin's second bedroom, upstairs."

The officer opened the cupboard door after undoing all the locks. Opening the door, she saw the mattress that had been left behind with some clutter. She nodded, closed the door, and headed for the stairs. Harry pointed out his new bedroom, and she entered, noting the size, as well as the pile of broken toys laying in heaps.

"You don't take very good care of your toys," she observed.

"Those are my cousins," Harry said. "I haven't gotten a chance to clean up in here since I moved in. I've been busy buying school supplies and doing my normal chores."

"What are your normal chores?" she asked. He detailed his day, and what was expected of him. She began taking notes. Before she left, she took out a camera and took photos of the room. She then led him back downstairs, where she took more photographs of the cupboard. She'd just stepped into the kitchen to make a call when Dudley came home. The sound of the door opening caused her to poke her head back into the kitchen doorway. Dudley, observant as ever, didn't see her. He did, however, see Harry standing there in the hallway.

"What are you doing standing around, freak?" Dudley asked. "Aren't there chores you should be doing?" Dudley then sucker punched Harry in the stomach and pushed him into the cupboard before slamming the door.

"Oi!" the officer shouted, and raced into the hall. Dudley's eyes bugged out and he turned to run, but the officer tripped him up and took him down. She was cuffing him when her partner appeared from the parlor. "I just observed this one punch Mr. Potter in the gut and push him into the cupboard. Can you let him out?"

"Duddi-kins!" Petunia gasped as she stepped into the hall.

"Is this your son?" the officer asked Petunia. She nodded. "I'm writing him a reprimand for assault and battery to go on his record." Petunia wasn't stupid enough to ask why, she merely nodded, resigned. The male officer helped Harry out of the cupboard.

"We'll be removing Mr. Potter to a place of safety, pending an emergency protection order from the council," the male officer informed her. "Go collect your things, Mr. Potter." Harry ran up the stairs, and threw his spare clothes in his trunk. As he was coming back down he heard the tail end of the conversation. "…unlikely that Mr. Potter will be returned to your care, and will instead be placed in a community home. You should make yourself available to the police in the future while the investigation is ongoing, and failure to do so may result in a warrant being issued for your arrest. Do you understand what I've said to you?"

Petunia was crying by this point, as the seriousness of the charges laid against her had been made clear. She nodded her understanding, and watched as Harry and the male officer hefted his trunk and Hedwig's cage and Harry left 4 Privet Drive for good. With his trunk snugly in the back of the police car, Harry climbed in back and left for the police station.

At the police station, he was processed and interviewed by a guardian appointed by the council to act on his behalf during the period of flux. He was inspected and photographed by a medical official to document bruising, and he asked Harry about his medical history. Harry told the official about his broken bones and beatings. His school history and home life were also questioned. When he left the guardian and medical official, he was taken back into the waiting room, where he got a mild shock. Standing there waiting for him were the Grangers.

"Harry!" Hermione cried, and ran up, hugging him. Harry was quick to hug her back, his eyes tearing up.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"We're here to take you home," she said. "If you want to come, of course." She pulled back and looked down. "Mum and dad volunteered to let you stay with us while everything gets sorted out."

"But I've only just met you," Harry objected.

"And yet it feels like I've known you forever," Hermione replied. "I've… I've never had a friend before. And you're… erm… like me, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, grinning and taking her hand. "I feel the same way, 'Mione." She looked like she was about to object to his nickname, but she stopped and then smiled.

"Let's go home, Harry," she said finally.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Taking Care of Business**

Harry and Hermione spent the rest of the month of August getting to know each other better. They also spent a great deal of time reading their textbooks. For Hermione, it was opening a door to a world she'd never experienced before. For Harry, it was a good review of the level he needed to pretend to be at, and he even picked up some things he hadn't known before. By the time he left for King's Cross with Hermione and her parents on September first, he felt confident he could pass all his courses, including History of Magic.

He and Hermione breezed onto Platform 9¾ nearly thirty minutes before the train was scheduled to leave, and met Neville, who was introduced to Hermione. Together they secured a compartment, with Harry ensuring that Neville did not lose Trevor the toad this time around. They were soon joined by Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, and Ernie MacMillan. Neville knew all of them, of course, and Harry did too, but couldn't let on. The new arrivals spent some time getting to know Harry and Hermione.

As the train pulled out of the station the door to the compartment opened, revealing Ron Weasley.

"Is there room in here?" he asked, glancing around. His eyes landed on Harry, and he smiled.

"Sorry," Susan responded. "We're full up."

"Oh, come on," Ron countered. "You can budge over."

"But there's no room for your trunk," Ernie reasoned.

"Oh," Ron said, sagging. Harry noticed Ron glancing at Harry. Harry got the feeling that Ron knew who he was, and it suddenly dawned on him that the meeting at the entrance and the ride to Hogwarts the last time around had been a setup. "Right, well… See you at Hogwarts, then." With that the door closed.

Harry, Hermione, Neville, Susan, Hannah, and Ernie spent the rest of the trip to Hogwarts chatting companionably, and speculating on what Hogwarts would be like. Harry 'predicted' who would end up in which house, knowing the likely outcome. Hermione and Neville were both shocked that he placed them in Gryffindor, but Harry shrugged it off, saying he thought he'd be right.

About halfway through the trip, the compartment door opened again revealing Draco Malfoy standing in front of Crabbe and Goyle.

"Is it true?" he asked. "They're saying up and down the train that Harry Potter is in this compartment."

"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said.

"I'm Draco Malfoy," he said. "And this is Crabbe, and Goyle."

"Hello," Harry said neutrally. "Do you know Neville Longbottom, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, and Ernie MacMillan? And this is Hermione Granger."

"A squib and a bunch of half-bloods," Draco replied. "Not really worth my time. At least MacMillan's here."

"I'm a half-blood," Harry replied.

"Yes," Draco replied. "And you'll be fighting that prejudice for the rest of your life. Fortunately for you, you're also a Potter. I can help you there."

"Thanks for the heads up," Harry replied dryly. "Do you have any other insults for me or my friends, or is that all?"

"Are you rejecting my generous offer of friendship?" Draco asked, affronted.

"If that's how you treat your friends, I think I'd rather not be," Harry snorted. The others laughed.

"You'd better watch yourself, Potter," Draco sneered. Thankfully, he took that as his cue to exit, and the compartment door slammed shut.

"What an arsehole," Harry swore. Hermione rolled her eyes while everyone else laughed.

When the train arrived in Hogsmeade, Harry and his friends followed Hagrid down to the boats. Harry, Hermione, and Neville shared a boat across the lake. Ron managed to hop in at the last moment. Harry sighed. Ron wasn't giving up. Hermione gasped when the castle came into view. Harry smiled, watching her instead. The look of awe on her face made his heart melt. From the grotto, they followed Hagrid up the stairs where he deposited them with Professor McGonagall.

Presently, the first years were ushered into the Great Hall, and the hat sang its song. Then the sorting began. He grinned as Hannah, Susan, Hermione, Neville, and Ernie were all sorted where he'd 'predicted' and he winked at them each in turn as they jumped off the stool. When he finally was called, he simply walked up and confidently placed the sorting hat on his head.

"Well, well," the hat said. "You're not who I thought you'd be."

"I'm aware," Harry replied. "Sort me into Gryffindor, and I'll need to talk to you later."

"Yes," the hat agreed. "I can see. Remember, I know your mind."

"Then you already know what I need," Harry observed.

"I think I can accommodate," the hat replied lightly. "Keep it safe, Lord Gryffindor."

"Thanks," Harry said, surprised. He'd known he was distantly related to the founder, but if the hat addressed him as Lord Gryffindor, it meant he was more directly related than he'd thought. If he could claim the title legally, it meant another seat on the Wizengamot, another vault, and a vote on the Hogwarts Board of Governors as a descendant of the founder.

"Better be GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted out loud. The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers at the proclamation, a little louder than they had for the others perhaps. Then the entire room was stunned to silence when Harry took off the hat, and the Sword of Gryffindor fell out right into his hand. Without missing a beat, Harry doffed the hat, placed it back on the stool, and then walked confidently over to the Gryffindor table where Hermione and Neville were waiting for him. As he sat, he placed the sword on the bench next to him. Harry wasn't surprised the hat had given him what he'd asked for. He did realize, though, that it constituted the sort of proof that he'd need to claim the title in court. He'd have to write Mr. Tonks about it.

"Harry!" Hermione whispered. "That's the Sword of Gryffindor! It hasn't been seen in almost nine hundred years!"

"Swish," Harry whispered back. The entire school was still gaping at him. Dumbledore actually stood and looked to be ready to approach Harry before he decided against it. Professor McGonagall looked hesitantly from Harry to Dumbledore before he nodded and she continued the sorting.

"Hello, Harry," Ron said, sitting after his sorting. "Ron Weasley." He extended his hand.

"Hello," Harry said casually, then turned back to Hermione who was in the middle of explaining something he already knew about. Effectively brushed off, Ron reddened, but remained silent.

"Hey Harry," Ron said sometime later after supper was winding down. "What's with the sword?"

"Dunno," Harry said with disinterest. "Hermione says it's the Sword of Gryffindor."

"Well, I didn't get one," Ron observed. "I wonder why you did."

"I think that will remain a mystery, Mr. Weasley," came the voice from behind them. Harry turned around to see Dumbledore standing there, eyes twinkling. Harry mentally rolled his eyes.

"Professor," he said, overriding his gut reaction and locking his occlumency shields in place, "the sorting hat called me Lord Gryffindor, and gave me this sword. Hermione says it's the Sword of Gryffindor. The hat told me to keep it safe, and that it was my birthright." He added that last bit to see what Dumbledore's reaction would be. Dumbledore's smile wavered slightly and the twinkle in his eyes disappeared. Harry felt the mental probe and instantly shut it down, causing Dumbledore to rock backwards a bit and frown.

"I'm sure the hat was just speaking metaphorically," Dumbledore replied, the smile returning to his face, but not to his eyes. "If you'll allow me, I'll take the sword and hang it in a place of honour in my office. It's a priceless historical artifact which hasn't been seen in…"

"Nine hundred years," Harry interrupted. "Hermione told me. I think I should keep it, sir. After all, the hat gave it to me to take care of."

"Still," the headmaster pressed. "I think it would be safest in my care." Harry knew in an instant that if he gave it to Dumbledore, he'd never see it again.

"Sir," Harry countered. "I'm sorry, but I don't know you at all, so I don't feel comfortable giving such a priceless artifact to you. If I'm unable to keep it with me, I'll send it to my solicitor by owl to put in my Gringotts vault."

"Owl post is notoriously unsecure," Dumbledore informed him. "Give it to me. As your magical guardian I can put it in your Gringotts vault for you."

"Why are you so insistent that I give you the sword, sir?" Harry asked. "At this point, I'd give it to practically anybody but you, as you seem too keen to get it." Harry realized he'd hit the nail exactly on the head when Dumbledore backpedaled.

"If that's how you feel, perhaps Professor McGonagall can give it to your solicitor to put in your vault," he said.

"Are you sure I can't keep it here?" Harry asked. "I've got a top-of-the-line trunk, and Hogwarts is safe, isn't it?" By this point they'd attracted quite a bit of attention, and Harry could see that Dumbledore was losing patience.

"Why don't we get together later tonight in my office and discuss it," Dumbledore suggested kindly. "You can give the sword to Professor McGonagall then, and she can get it to your solicitor."

"If we can use your office, why can't I just hand it to him through the floo?" Harry asked. Dumbledore scowled for half a second before schooling his features.

"That would be acceptable," Dumbledore said at last, and retreated back to his table.

Shortly thereafter, he gave the after supper announcements, and sent the student body off to bed. Harry found his bed readymade, with his trunk in place at its foot. When the other first year boys disappeared to the bathroom, Harry called Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes. Fawkes flamed into view perched on his footboard.

"Hello girl. Will you help me with a task?" Harry asked. "I need to slay a basilisk." The bird trilled, which Harry accepted as a yes. "Alright, I'll call you again in a bit." He grabbed the Sword of Gryffindor, then cast a notice-me-not charm on himself, followed by a disillusionment spell, and finally he silenced his feet. Finished, he left the dorm, popped out of the portrait, and made his way to the second floor girl's lavatory.

There, he found the sink with the snake motif, and whispered, "Open" in parseltongue. The sink shifted, revealing the way down. Harry then whispered, "Stairs" in parseltongue, hoping stairs would appear. He wasn't sure of this, however. When they didn't he decided he'd be able to fly out with Fawkes again if he needed to. He sat on the edge of the floor, tipped over the edge, and slid to the bottom. With a lumos, Harry proceeded down the path he remembered, opening the door to the chamber. The snakeskin wasn't there, which encouraged him.

Finally in the chamber Harry took some time to look around. He found two doorways, to the left and right of the front of the chamber. The one on the left held a small study full of books. The one on the right led to a flight of stairs. Harry returned to the center of the room and looked up at the statue of Salazar Slytherin.

"Speak to me, Slytherin!" Harry commanded in parseltongue. "Greatest of the Hogwarts four." He hoped he'd gotten the phrasing correct. He quickly looked away when Slytherin's jaw dropped open and the basilisk appeared.

"Who wakes me from my slumber?" the king of the snakes hissed.

"FAWKES!" Harry shouted in English. With a flash of fire, the bird appeared, screamed, and dove at the basilisk. Harry didn't see it claw the snake's eyes out, but when the bird appeared on his shoulder, he chanced a look. The massive snake was waving around in the air, bloody sockets where its eyes should be. Harry took another chance.

"Diffindo!" he yelled, casting the cutting charm at the snake's mouth. He caught one of the fangs just below the gums, lopping it off. It clattered to the ground. He cast again, missing. Now the serpent was on to him, and he had to start maneuvering to escape. His auror training was paying off big dividends as he nimbly outmaneuvered the snake.

"Bombarda!" he shouted, aiming the blasting charm at the basilisk's left pit hole. It hit, disorienting the snake. Harry moved again, and lined up another spell.

"Diffindo!" The other fang dropped away. Clear of venomous fangs, Harry felt comfortable drawing the sword. Once clear of the scabbard, Harry maneuvered directly in front of the snake. "End this now!" he commanded in parseltongue. The snake obliged, and struck. Harry merely held the blade aloft and the blind serpent impaled itself on Godric's sword. The steel pierced the snake's upper palette, and entered the brain. Harry dodged as the snake collapsed to the ground, dead. He pulled out the sword, wiped it on his robes, and returned it to its sheath. He walked over and carefully hefted one of the fangs. It was dripping with poison.

Without another thought, he pocketed the fang, and exited the chamber via the stairs. He pushed aside the door, which was a blank section of wall behind the bust of Merlin on the fourth floor. His charms still in place, he moved undetected to the seventh floor corridor across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Harry paced three times, and the Room of Requirement appeared, providing him with the room of missing things. Harry entered and went straight for the diadem. Using the sword he knocked it off the bust and clear of the detritus without touching it. Then, without ceremony, he stabbed it with the basilisk fang.

There was a loud shriek, and black mist rose from the diadem. The first horcrux had been destroyed. Harry pocketed the fang again, and walked back down the aisle. He found the vanishing cabinet Malfoy had tried to repair in sixth year, and sent several blasting hexes at it, destroying it. That done, Harry returned to Gryffindor Tower.

When he entered the portrait hole, he saw Professor McGonagall standing there. Fortunately, she was facing away from him questioning Hermione, Neville, and for some reason, Ron. Harry slipped up to his dorm, and hid the fang and the sword, cleaned himself up, and returned to the portrait hole. Once outside, he canceled his concealments and reentered.

"Harry!" Ron shouted upon seeing him. "Where've you been, mate?"

"I went to go see the Headmaster," Harry explained. "But I got lost looking for his office."

"I was going to come get you, Mr. Potter," McGonagall chided. "It's too late now. We'll have to see him tomorrow."

"Yes, Professor," Harry said, acting contrite.

"Now," McGonagall continued, "It's against school rules to be out and about after hours, but since you were going to see the Headmaster, I'll let it slide this once. Don't make a habit of it."

"Yes, Professor," Harry repeated. McGonagall left.

"Wow, mate," Ron said after the portrait closed. "That was a close one. You almost lost us points."

"Ron," Harry asked. "Why're you calling me mate? Why are you here?"

"Because we're mates," Ron said, as though it were obvious.

"Are you mates with Neville and Hermione?" Harry asked.

"No," Ron allowed.

"Neville's my mate, and so's Hermione. I know them. You're not my mate. I don't know you," Harry said. Neville and Hermione both brightened visibly at that declaration.

"Sure you do!" Ron said. "We sat together at supper."

"I've known you about six hours," Harry said. "I've known Neville and Hermione a month now. I'll ask again, why're you so insistent on becoming my friend, instead of becoming friends with Dean or Seamus?" Finally, Ron's smile began to falter. Harry understood. Ron had been tasked with becoming his friend by Mrs. Weasley, probably at Dumbledore's request. It explained why McGonagall had included him, because she'd been told Ron would be one of his friends by Dumbledore.

"What?" Ron asked, confused.

"Do you want to be friends with me because of who I am, or because of what I am?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?" Ron waivered.

"Do you want to be friends with Harry, or the Boy-Who-Lived?" Harry asked pointedly. "Because you don't know me enough to want to be friends with me. If you want to be friends with me because I'm the Boy-Who-Lived, then I don't want to be friends with you."

"Fine, be that way," Ron shot back, suddenly angry. "You're just a scrawny little no-talent runt anyway." Without another word, Ron stomped off to the first year boys' dorm.

"Whew," Harry sighed.

"What a jerk," Hermione said consolingly.

"I don't even know why Professor McGonagall even asked to see him," Neville offered.

"Don't worry about it, guys," Harry said. "Sorry if I got you in any trouble."

"No," Hermione said. "The professor just wanted to know where you were."

"That's good. I'm beat. See you tomorrow for breakfast?" Harry asked.

"See you then," Hermione agreed.

When he got up to his dorm, Ron was there telling Seamus and Dean the whole story of his rat, as Scabbers ran around the bed. Harry laughed to himself. This was too perfect. He listened from his spot by his trunk as Ron explained that he'd gotten the rat from Percy who'd found it years ago, thereby establishing publicly that the rat was far too old to be a real rat.

The next morning Harry met up with Hermione and Neville. Just as they were sitting down Susan, Hannah, and Ernie were walking in. Harry waved them over.

"Morning Neville, Harry, Hermione," Hannah said. "What's up?"

"Just thought you'd like to join us," Harry said.

"We can't sit at the Gryffindor table," Ernie declared.

"Why not?" Harry asked. "It's not against the rules unless it's a major feast. C'mon, are we friends or not?"

"Ok," Hannah said, sitting down next to Neville. Even at eleven, Harry could tell they were meant to be, even if they themselves didn't yet.

"Susan," Harry began quietly, as she sat. "Do you write your aunt often?"

"I've only been here a day," she replied. "I haven't written her yet."

"Er… Right," Harry realized. "Well, could you? I have a lead on a very old case I think she's working on."

"Sure," she replied. "What do you want me to say?"

"Just invite her up to talk to me tomorrow evening," Harry replied. Susan agreed, and the six of them passed a very pleasant breakfast. They even got house points from Professor Sprout for inter-house unity. After they received their timetables the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs separated, with the Gryffindors heading to Xylomancy, which was uneventful. Potions was dismal.

After calling Harry "our new celebrity" he proceeded exactly as Harry had remembered.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. Harry mentally rolled his eyes. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." There was a brief pause. "Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"The Draught of the Living Death, sir," Harry replied. He noticed he answered quickly enough that Hermione didn't have the time to raise her hand this time around. Snape was so surprised by the response, he stopped.

"Cheating already? Pity," Snape drawled. "Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"The stomach of a goat, sir," Harry answered easily.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Snape finished, unsettled.

"They're the same plant, professor, also called aconite," Harry supplied.

"Since those answers aren't to be found in the first year text, I'm assuming you cheated…" Snape began, but was cut off by Harry.

"Please, sir," Harry said. "I spent some time at Hermione's this summer, and read the information in some more advanced books that she had. I didn't cheat."

"Ten points from Gryffindor for interrupting me," Snape hissed. Snape looked directly at Harry, and Harry felt the legilimency probe immediately. Unlike Dumbledore's it wasn't gentle. Harry's occulumency shields were already in place, and he used an Auror technique to shove the probe from his mind. Snape gasped and stumbled back, bumping against the table behind him.

"Detention, Potter!" Snape shouted.

"Why, sir?" Harry shot back. "Using legilimency without permission is illegal unless you're an Auror. Defending one's self isn't. Or did I misunderstand what you just attempted?"

"Why you little…" Snape snarled, pushing himself off the edge of the table and stalking up to Harry.

"Professor, I think you need to gain control of your emotions," Harry said sharply, standing. "You broke the law and harassed me without provocation. I don't care what your relationship was with my mother…" Snape's eyes bulged at that declaration. "…or what your beef was with my father, but they're dead thanks partly to you…" the room gasped as one, and Snape looked like he was about to faint, "…and I'm a completely different person. I am not a dumping ground for your emotional baggage. I'll serve your detention, and I won't call the Aurors this time, but you treat me like that again, and I won't hesitate to take appropriate action."

"Seven tonight, here," Snape growled. "Now get out." Harry picked up his bag and left without another word to Snape.

"Let me know what you brew today," he said to Hermione on his way out. He went back to the common room, where he found the Weasley twins. "I hear you're the ones to go to if you want to create a little mischief," he said.

"Well…" George said.

"If it isn't…" Fred continued.

"Harry Potter," George finished.

"Your sources are accurate," Fred said.

"What can we do for you?" George asked.

"How much experience do you have lighting things on fire?" Harry asked.

"We've been known to set the occasional blaze," Fred allowed.

"How about setting clothes on fire?" Harry pressed.

"You do know there's an easier way to get a bird out of her robes, right Harry?" George asked with a sly grin.

"Nope, the target of this prank would be a certain stuttering professor," Harry revealed. "I want him rid of that ridiculous turban."

"Ah, a worthy target indeed," Fred said.

"We just came from his class," George revealed. "What a nutter."

"Can you set his turban ablaze tomorrow night at supper?" Harry asked. "And make it so he has to take it off for the flames to go out."

"I think we can accommodate you," Fred replied.

"Now there's the little matter of our fee," George interjected.

Harry pulled out a coin purse and handed it to Fred. "Will this be enough?" Fred opened the bag.

"Merlin!" he whispered. "There must be a hundred galleons in here."

"We can't take this much, Harry," George informed him.

"I insist," Harry said. "Consider it an investment in future endeavours. I might have continuing need of your services in the future. Well, I believe I'll leave you to plan your operation. Thank you gentlemen."

With that, Harry escaped up to his dorm, where he used the time to his advantage and approached Ron's bed. He saw Scabbers' cage where it usually rested, and pulled his wand. Without further ado, he stunned the rat and bound it before removing it from its cage, and storing it securely in his trunk. Harry then left the cage open, so that it would appear that Scabbers had escaped. That done, he pulled out a book and went down to the common room to read.

Hermione took the time to chide Harry for his actions in potions at lunch. After lunch, Harry experienced Defense, and Charms. Defense was ridiculous, while Charms was fun. He took the time to ask Professor Flitwick if he might get some dueling instruction at some point, which the diminutive professor immediately agreed to. Henceforth, they had a standing practice on Sunday evening. Hermione, Neville, Hannah, Susan, and Ernie were also roped in—the Hufflepuffs shared Charms with the Gryffindors, and had been present for Harry's conversation.

Dinner came and went, and Harry went down to the dungeons to sit his detention. He entered the potions classroom, finding it empty. He had seen Snape still eating when he'd left, and thought he had a few minutes. He immediately went to the cuboards where the spare potions texts were. He opened one.

" _Accio_ Snape's potions text," Harry cast, pointing the wand at the pile of books. A book flew into his waiting hand. Surprisingly, it wasn't the text he was expecting. Instead it was a copy of _Magical Drafts and Potions_. Flipping through, he saw 'Snape' scrawled on the fly page, and many notes crammed amongst the text. He added it to his bag, closed the door, and opened the next, repeating the process. This netted him two more texts—the copy of _Advanced Potion Making_ that he remembered, as well as _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_. Harry added both books to his bag, closed the cupboard and sat at a table to await Snape's arrival.

A few minutes later Snape breezed into the room, but stopped short when he saw Harry seated there. Without a word, Snape continued to his office and slammed the door. Undeterred, Harry pulled out his textbook and began revising. He'd gotten the assignment from Hermione, though it was the same as the last time around. By the time Snape came out of his office two hours later, Harry had just finished his essay.

"Get out, Potter," was all Snape said to him.

When Harry returned to the common room, he found Hermione and Neville.

"Professor McGonagall was looking for you again," Hermione told him. "We let her know you were serving detention."

Ron was running around with Dean and Seamus looking for his rat. Hermione scoffed at him. Apparently, Ron thought he'd left the door to the cage open and Hermione had given him the business for not taking care of his pet. Hermione reviewed Harry's essay while he revised charms. He actually saw her go back to her text after reading his essay and then make changes to her own essay. He tried not to let the shock show on his face.

The next morning at breakfast, the six friends sat together again. When the mail arrived, there was a letter from Susan's aunt.

"Aunt Amelia will be up tonight for supper," Susan informed him.

"Good," Harry said. "I've got everything ready for her." Hermione looked confused. "Don't worry. Remember I told you about my godfather? Well, I learned more about what they were like at school, and I was able to piece together some of the pieces of the puzzle. I thought the investigators might want to know."

It was then that an owl arrived for Harry. It was non-descript, as was the letter. Harry opened it curiously, and saw that it was from Mr. Tonks. It stated that he needed to go to Gringotts to claim his head of house status for Gryffindor. The appearance of the sword at his request, and the genealogical records held by the bank were proof enough of his claim. The vault would be made available as would the heir's ring. Harry determined to asked McGonagall for permission to go on Saturday. Heirs were usually allowed leave to conduct family business.

After breakfast found Harry back in the potions classroom being ignored by Snape. Harry used his regulation text for the last time after surreptitiously sneaking glances at Snape's marked up text. Halfway through class, he abandoned his book entirely in favour of the older text. When time was called, Harry could tell he'd made the best potion, even better than Hermione's, which was also very good. Snape purposefully fumbled the vial when Harry handed the finished potion to him, but his scheme was thwarted when the vial simply clattered to the ground unbroken. Harry, knowing Snape, had charmed the vial to be unbreakable. He'd also retained a second vial of potion to provide to the headmaster should Snape vanish the contents of the first. He watched smugly as Snape retrieved the vial from the floor, muttering under his breath.

Harry actually tried to pay attention in History of Magic, but quickly fell asleep. He didn't worry about it, though, as the reading he'd done over the summer was over the same material Binns was droning on about. Also, having taken the OWLs already, he knew little of the material covered in class would be on the important test.

After lunch was Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. Harry enjoyed the class, and found himself talking to Neville about the subject on the way to Transfiguration. It was obvious that even at eleven, Neville loved plants.

Harry, Hermione and Neville walked into the Transfiguration classroom a few minutes early and Harry saw Professor McGonagall perched on her desk in her cat form. The room was less than half full, but there were a fair few students there already. Wanting to give the old woman a shock, he walked right up to her and said, "Professor, I need to go to Gringotts this weekend to conduct some family business. Would that be alright?" The cat glared at him before pointedly looking at an empty seat. "I guess I'll talk to you after class," Harry said, and went to sit with his friends.

"I didn't know you were a cat person," Hermione said as he sat down.

"That's not a cat," Harry replied. "That's Professor McGonagall. She's an animagus. See the spectacles around her eyes? I really wouldn't expect less from a transfiguration professor."

"Harry, how did you know…" Hermione asked, but Harry held up a finger. Class was about to start. They waited for a few more minutes in silence. The door banged open and Ron rushed in.

"Whew," he said. "Made it before McGonagall." As he sat near the back of the class, McGonagall leapt from the desk, morphing into her normal form.

"Mr. Weasley," she said. "That will be one point from Gryffindor for tardiness." And then she began her lesson. Harry easily turned his matchstick into a needle on his first try, earning him five points for Gryffindor. He then proceeded to turn it into a pencil nub, a small feather, and a toothpick. "Mr. Potter, where did you learn how to do that?"

"Just now, Professor," Harry replied. "I just got bored waiting for the rest of the class, and decided to see what else I could think of to turn the matchstick into. I just used the same incantation but visualized a different item. Did I do something wrong?"

"Absolutely not, Mr. Potter," McGonagall replied. "Fifteen points to Gryffindor for excellent and inventive spellwork. It would seem you have a knack for transfiguration, just like your father."

"Thank you, ma'am," Harry replied. After class he approached the desk. "So would I be able to go to Gringotts for family business on Saturday?" he asked. "I'll be meeting my solicitor, Ted Tonks, there."

"I don't see why that would be a problem, Mr. Potter," she replied. "As your head of house, I'll escort you." She paused for a moment, then asked, "How did you know that I am an animagus?"

"I've recently learned a bit about my father and his friends," Harry replied. "Including that they were all animagi." McGonagall looked stunned. "They learned in third year, in order to accompany their other friend, who was a werewolf, during the full moon. My dad was a stag. His other friends were a dog and a rat. They obviously got the idea from somewhere, as it's a very advanced form of transfiguration. When I walked into class today, I saw you on the desk with coloration around your eyes that looked like spectacles, and the pieces just fell into place. You probably taught my father, and he learned about the animagus transfiguration from you."

"Well, while I did teach transfiguration while he was in school, and I taught about the animagus transfiguration, I didn't teach him to perform the transfiguration," McGonagall replied. "I didn't even know he was one. Amazing."

When Harry left the classroom, Hermione and Neville were waiting there for him. They walked back to Gryffindor tower and dropped their books off. Harry grabbed Scabbers from his trunk and stuffed him in his robes, then met Hermione and Neville in the common room. Then they headed down to dinner.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Blah, blah, not the owner of Harry Potter. No money made, etc.

 **Chapter 3: Burning Investigations**

Harry spotted Susan and her aunt at the Hufflepuff table and wandered over with Hermione and Neville in tow. After a round of introductions, Harry's issues were postponed until after dinner by general consensus. The group settled in to a discussion of Hogwarts and how they found it so far.

About halfway through the pudding, there was a scream from the head table. Everyone looked up to see Professor Quirrell's turban fully engulfed in fire. He was standing screaming while the other teachers gasped. McGonagall moved to remove the flaming headgear when Quirrell leapt away.

"No!" he shouted. "Don't touch it!"

"But you're on fire," McGonagall protested. "Get it off your head and we'll extinguish the flames."

"No!" Quirrell shouted again. "It mustn't be removed." His desires were thwarted, however, by Dumbledore, who levitated the turban off Quirrell's head. He was turned so that most of the student body, and Madam Bones, had a clear view of the second face that was revealed; a face, that, despite the look of shock upon it, was clearly identifiable to her.

"Quirrell," the face cried. "You idiot. You've failed me."

"I'm sorry master," Quirrell gasped, before he was stunned by Madam Bones. The flaming headgear, once removed, had sputtered out, and lay forgotten on the floor. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Madam Bones rushed over to where Quirrell lay.

As Harry watched, Madam Bones sent off a messenger patronus, and knelt next to Quirrell's body. She carefully inspected Voldemort's face on the back of his head before binding Quirrell.

"Madam Bones, what are you doing?" Dumbledore asked.

"Arresting him," Madam Bones replied. "He's got He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's face in the back of his head. He's obviously being possessed. And he's in a school with almost three hundred minor children, including my neice!"

"Surely, Amelia, there must be something else to be done," Dumbledore replied. "Perhaps we could take Professor Quirrell up to my office and we might discuss it there."

"Despite where the appearance of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named occurred, this is in no way a Hogwarts matter," Madam Bones replied fiercely. "You may have your opportunity to interrogate Professor Quirrell during his trial, which I presume you'll attempt to head in your capacity as Chief Warlock. I'd encourage you to refrain from that, however, as you have a conflict of interest in that he's also your employee. It won't look good for you, Albus."

Dumbledore straightened, shocked, at that declaration. He stood motionless for a few moments as Madam Bones ran some diagnostic checks on Quirrell with her wand. By the time she'd finished, the doors of the Great Hall had opened, revealing a team of Aurors heading to Madam Bones.

The whole thing was over in a few minutes, with Quirrell being levitated out of the castle by Aurors in front of the entire student body. Afterwards, Madam Bones stopped by the Hufflepuff table and motioned for Harry.

"You'd better come with me," she said. "I doubt this is what you'd intended for me to see." Harry nodded, despite this being one of the things he had in fact wanted her to see. In the entrance hall, she stopped. "Why exactly did you call me here today?" Harry reached into his robes and removed Scabbers.

"I wanted to give you Peter Pettigrew, so that it would be easier to clear Sirius Black," Harry said, handing the rat to her. "I assume that Ted Tonks sent you a copy of my parents' will, that Peter Pettigrew and not Sirius Black was the secret keeper, and that you've discovered that Sirius Black was never given a trial. I assume that you've found, or will come to realize, that Sirius was denied a trial on the recommendation of Professor Dumbledore, and that it would seem that the headmaster is a central theme in the cover up of what really happened on October 31, 1981."

"I'd come to some similar conclusions," Madam Bones admitted. "But how does the rat help you prove your case?"

"That is Peter Pettigrew," Harry revealed. Madam Bones cocked an eyebrow. "He's an unregistered rat animagus. He, my father, and Sirius Black all perfected the animagus transfiguration in their third year to enable them to spend time with Remus Lupin during the full moon. He's a werewolf. My father became a stag, Sirius became a dog, and Peter became a rat. You'll notice he's missing a toe on his paw. That's the finger he severed during the fight that got Sirius sent to Azkaban."

"That's quite a story," Madam Bones observed.

"But you already knew about Sirius and my father's animagus abilities," Harry said. "They disclosed them to your department when they became Aurors, but were advised not to register in order to enable them to conduct undercover work."

"How do you know that?" Madam Bones asked, shocked.

"A copy of my father's Auror personnel file is in my family vault at Gringotts," Harry replied. It was the truth, but really he'd learned it from perusing Auror records when he was one. "I inferred the bit about Sirius."

"I'll pump this rat so full of veritasserum he won't know what hit him," Madam Bones promised. "We'll get to the bottom of this."

"Thanks for your help," Harry replied.

"It's been my pleasure, Harry," Madam Bones replied. She glanced up to see Dumbledore approaching, and took her leave rather than speak to the man.

"Everything alright, Harry?" Dumbledore asked congenially.

"Fine, Professor," Harry said. He didn't elaborate. The silence stretched uncomfortably long before Dumbledore finally broke it.

"Well, you'd best get back to your friends," he said, sighing as Harry passed him, eager to get away from the man who'd manipulated his life.

The next day at breakfast, all hell broke loose when the post owls arrived. The _Daily Prophet_ blared the headline "VOLDEMORT AT HOGWARTS". Practically the entire front page was dedicated to the story of Voldemort being exposed at Hogwarts. The students knew that, but inside was the article that grabbed their, and the nation's attention.

 _The Lie We All Believed_

 _By James Jameson_

 _Until yesterday, the entire world knew that Voldemort was defeated by Harry Potter on October 31, 1981. The official story was that the Potters had gone into hiding earlier in the month. Albus Dumbledore cast a fidelius charm over their cottage, with Sirius Black as the secret keeper. Sirius Black then betrayed the Potters to Voldemort, and Voldemort attacked them and killed them... Except Harry Potter got in the way. According to Official Sources, Potter was attacked with the killing curse, and it rebounded, destroying Voldemort. Now an orphan, Harry was whisked away by Albus Dumbledore to a place of safety, where he resided until this year, when he reappeared to attend Hogwarts._

 _Yesterday evening, that story was exposed as a lie. (The full story of last night's events is detailed elsewhere in this edition.) So what, then, is the truth? We've received, from anonymous sources, evidence that supports a very different, and far more sinister truth._

 _Nearly a month ago, this paper received a copy of the will of James and Lily Potter, a copy of a prophecy which was transcribed from its prophecy sphere in the Hall of Prophecies, and records from the Potters' Gringotts account. From these documents, the Daily Prophet was able to divine the truth._

 _Hogwarts Divination Professor Sybill Trelawny gave a prophecy to Albus Dumbledore just before she was hired in 1980. This prophecy, which we shall not reveal the text of here, pointed to Harry Potter as the one who was able to end Voldemort's reign of power. Somehow, Voldemort learned of the prophecy. Evidence, or lack thereof, would point to Dumbledore as having revealed it to him, or allowing it to be so revealed, as he was the only one present during the giving of the prophecy._

 _Following learning of the prophecy, Voldemort began targeting the Potters. They managed to successfully evade him for over a year. Three weeks before Halloween, 1981, they accepted the assistance of Albus Dumbledore, who did indeed cast the Fidelius Charm on their cottage in Godric's Hollow. What wasn't known before was that Sirius Black wasn't the secret keeper, as we were led to believe. The will specifically names Peter Pettigrew as the Potters' secret keeper. Following Pettigrew's betrayal of the Potters, he disappeared for three days, before he was tracked down by Auror Sirius Black near Pettigrew's flat in Enfield. A brief fight ensued, during which Pettigrew again disappeared, losing a finger in the process. He was long thought dead, and Sirius was arrested for betraying the Potters and murdering Pettigrew. This story was disproven last night when none other than Peter Pettigrew was brought into an Auror holding cell at the Ministry. He is very much alive, and was apparently living as a rat—he's an unregistered animagus—since that night. It is unknown at this time how he was apprehended._

 _Once arrested, Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban. Ministry records reveal no trial records for Sirius Black. His file only shows an incarceration order signed by Minister Bagnold and endorsed by none other than Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore, the man who cast the Potters' Fidelius charm and knew Pettigrew to be the secret keeper._

 _Why would Albus Dumbledore send an innocent man to prison without trial? The Potters' will again provides answers. Sirius Black is Harry Potter's godfather, and was first in line to become his guardian in the event of the Potters' deaths. Coincidentally, his godmother, Alice Longbottom, second in line to become his guardian, had been hospitalized two nights earlier following what was then believed to be extended exposure to the cruciatus curse. She and her husband, Frank Longbottom, were discovered by Aurors in Hogsmeade. They were attacked by Death Eaters Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan LeStrange, who were convicted on veritasserum evidence and sentenced to Azkaban. It is unknown why the LeStranges attacked the Longbottoms, as there were no witnesses. They were asked by the prosecutor for a motive during the trial, but the question was disallowed by the chief warlock, who felt their guilt had already been established and further questioning pointless. The trial was quickly closed thereafter, and interest waned._

 _On November 4, 1981, following Sirius Black's arrest, records show that Albus Dumbledore petitioned the Wizengamot to seal the Potters' will during a closed session of the Wizengamot, and to a appoint him as Harry Potter's guardian in his guise as the Headmaster of Hogwarts. The motion passed by one vote without discussion._

 _On November 5, 1981, Albus Dumbledore stood as Harry Potter's guardian and Voldemort was gone. But what did Dumbledore gain from these actions? The answer, as revealed by Potter account records, was money. Over the last ten years, Dumbledore has removed over 170,000 galleons from the Potter vaults, more than 145,000 galleons over what he was supposed to be allowed by the terms of the Potters' will for Harry's guardian. The majority of the money taken was transferred directly into the Dumbledore family vault, with approximately 50,000 galleons going to a vault listed as Dumbledore – Dursley._

 _Investigators at the_ Daily Prophet _have uncovered that Petunia Dursley is Harry Potter's maternal aunt, and that he had been residing with her family in Surrey until this year. In August, muggle law enforcement removed Harry from their home, and ultimately arrested Harry's aunt and uncle for child abuse._

 _It would seem that, having gained control of the Potter finances, and rid himself of Voldemort, Dumbledore proceeded to dump the Boy-Who-Lived with his abusive relatives and forget about him, stealing from his vaults all the while. It sickens this author to his very core to discover that such a thing is possible. Furthermore, it calls into question what else Dumbledore has done. Surely these revelations must require a thorough Ministry inquiry into Albus Dumbledore's actions, both related to Harry Potter and not._

 _Happily, the_ Daily Prophet _has learned that such an inquiry is indeed underway, helmed by none other than Amelia Bones herself. In a late night press conference last night the Minister gave the investigation his full support._

 _That leaves the question of how the magical community was duped by Albus Dumbledore regarding the fate of Voldemort. It also reopens the question of how much the Death Eaters knew about Voldemort's whereabouts after Halloween 1981, and whether those who claimed to be under the imperious curse actually were. Unfortunately, those questions cannot be answered immediately, and must await the investigation by law enforcement._

Harry looked up from the article, and noticed that Dumbledore had not yet arrived. The door to the Great Hall opened, and revealed Aurors, who were obviously looking for him. By coincidence, Dumbledore entered shortly thereafter.

"Albus Dumbledore!" shouted a large black Auror.

"Yes?" he responded calmly. The Auror approached him as two more closed in from behind.

"I'm placing you under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit line theft, kidnapping, and embezzlement," the Auror said. One of the Aurors behind him brought out magic-resistant handcuffs. "You needn't say anything, but anything you do say may be presented in evidence. Do…"

"Kingsley," Dumbledore interrupted. "I believe you're operating under the mistaken belief that I'll… How do you put it? Ah, yes… 'Come quietly.' I have no intention of doing so. Fawkes!" The bird flashed in, landing on Dumbledore's shoulder.

"Fawkes!" Harry called, knowing what Dumbledore was about to attempt. "You know this isn't right!" The phoenix looked at Harry, looked at Dumbledore, looked at the Aurors, and flashed away leaving Dumbledore dumbfounded.

With no other options, Dumbledore went on the offensive. He wandlessly and silently knocked over the Aurors and rushed out the door. It was the last time Harry saw the man before his trial.

Professor McGonagall became the acting Headmistress of Hogwarts. A Hogwarts Board meeting was scheduled in December to deal with matters. The day to day didn't really change for the students or staff.

On Thursday afternoon the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins had their first flying lesson. It went exactly the same as Harry remembered it, and just the same, McGonagall pulled him out of class to introduce him to Oliver Wood.

The word spread around quickly that Harry was the youngest player admitted to a house team in a century. Ron, still bitter, took the opportunity to call Harry a pompous glory-seeking loser. Harry brushed it off. He was glad to be shot of Ron, and realized that Neville was a far better friend than Ron ever had been. Neville didn't mind studying, and was much friendlier with Hermione. The three spent long hours together studying in the library with their Hufflepuff friends.

Harry also quickly made friends with the chaser trio and the Weasley twins. They were amazed with what they called Harry's innate skill at the game, but was really almost fifteen years of experience from his prior life.

On Friday, the only difference was that Snape was very quiet in class. With his protector gone, he dared not attack or belittle students. Harry approved of the change.

When Saturday rolled around, he met Professor McGonagall in her office, and together they flooed to Gringotts. Harry met with his account manager while McGonagall took care of some 'other business'. He presented the sword to Ripclaw, who in turn, gave him the heir's ring for Gryffindor, and showed him the account books for the Gryffindor family. It didn't take too long, and when Harry left the office, McGonagall wasn't there. Harry took the opportunity to cross the street to Madam Malkin's, where he ordered new dress robes with the Potter, Peverell, Black, and Gryffindor crests on the left breast. He returned to the bank, and sat to await McGonagall's return. She strode back into the bank not five minutes later carrying a long package, which she presented to Harry.

"This is for you," she informed him. "Use it well." Harry peeked in the package, and saw the expected Nimbus 2000 broom.

"Thank you, Professor," he gushed. "You didn't have to do this."

"Regardless," McGonagall replied with a warm look. "You can't use one of the school brooms to play. That would be an insult to your skill. Don't think I haven't watched you practice."

"Still," Harry reiterated. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," McGonagall accepted. "Now let's get back to the castle. I believe you have practice this afternoon."

A week later, Harry got a letter from Madam Bones, which had been copied to Ted Tonks. It detailed where the investigations were at. She said that Dumbledore was still at large, but with the records Harry had provided, the testimony of Peter Pettigrew, a second interrogation of the LeStranges, the testimony of Sirius Black—who had volunteered to do so under veritasserum, and other investigative work, the evidence collected against him was damning. At the behest of the Minister, the Wizengamot had unsealed his parents' will, and it had been published officially. That information was being forwarded to Gringotts so they could officially reverse the transactions Dumbledore had made. Finally, Pettigrew's testimony and his parents' will had exonerated Sirius, who had been released from Azkaban that morning, and was undergoing medical treatment for physical and mental injuries resulting from his incarceration at St. Mungo's. There was a Wizengamot meeting that afternoon at which she would recommend that Sirius be compensated for his troubles to the tune of fifty thousand galleons per year for each year he was wrongly imprisoned.

The letter also went into detail concerning Voldemort. Though the Department of Mysteries had cooperated fully in investigating the issue, neither they nor the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had been able to separate Voldemort from Quirrell without killing him. The day before, the Wizengamot had agreed to send Quirrell through the veil as a way to get rid of the problem once and for all. That had happened last night without ever reviving Quirrell. Voldemort was gone for good. Harry knew better, but wouldn't say so. He'd continue to track down the horcruxes. All in all, it had been a satisfying first two weeks of school for Harry. He smiled.

Things continued apace for Harry at Hogwarts for quite some time. Master Auror Mad Eye Moody had been brought in by special request of the Headmistress to act as the Defense Professor. In gratitude for the idea for the prank that killed Voldemort, the Weasley twins passed along the Marauder's map, which Harry began putting to good use. McGonagall gave Harry his father's invisibility cloak, which she'd found in the Head's quarters. She'd realized it was his after reading another article in the _Daily Prophet_. Harry also received a letter from Sirius, thanking him for helping to get him released, and promising that he'd become Harry's guardian just as soon as he got out of St. Mungo's. This made Harry very happy.

The first weekend in November Harry replayed his first quidditch match. Unsurprisingly, Gryffindor beat Slytherin handily. This time around there was no interference from Quirrell.

The second week in November McGonagall announced that the third floor corridor was no longer off limits. Harry realized she'd gotten rid of the Philosopher's Stone, which Harry reasoned, wasn't a bad thing.

Harry spent the balance of the year revising with his friends in the library, practicing quidditch, and being tutored in dueling. With the help of Snape's textbooks, Harry did exceptionally well at potions. At first, Hermione was hesitant, but when Harry showed her that they were Snape's old textbooks, she relented. Harry also swore never to use them for anything but potions, which ameliorated her hesitancy. By the beginning of December, she and Neville were using the books as well. Their potions were significantly better than the rest of the class', a fact which Snape noticed, but refrained from commenting on.

Before they knew it, Harry, Hermione, and the gang were on their way back to King's Cross for Christmas. They chatted excitedly with each other about plans. Hannah and Susan would be spending some time together, as their families were vacationing in Italy together. Ernie would be in Canada visiting family. Harry would be meeting Sirius for the first time, but would be spending Christmas itself with Hermione. He and Neville also had plans to get together so Madam Longbottom could 'see to Harry's training', as she put it. Harry knew that meant at least a few hours learning how to run an ancient and noble house.

When they stepped off the train the first person to find them was Molly Weasley.

"There you are, Harry," she said, wrapping him up in a big hug. Harry promptly fought to escape.

"Excuse me," he said heatedly. "Who are you?"

"Well, I'm Molly Weasley," she replied. "Ron's mum. Surely he's told you about me?"

"I'm sorry," Harry replied coldly. "You must be confused. I'm not friends with Ron, so we don't converse usually."

"But…" Mrs. Weasley sputtered.

"Harry!" came a deeper voice from behind Mrs. Weasley. Harry recognized it immediately.

"Sirius?" Harry asked. "Is that you?" He finally eased around Mrs. Weasley, passing a wide-eyed Ginny in the process, and saw Sirius. He looked a lot better than Harry remember him looking when he was a fugitive. He realized the last time he hadn't gotten treatment, and been hidden away. This time around he had his ailments properly treated, was getting full meals, and was genuinely happy to be free and running about.

"It's so good to see you again," Sirius said, wrapping Harry up in a hug. "'Course, you won't remember me, 'cause last I saw you you were only a year old."

"That's ok," Harry replied. "I'm just glad to meet someone who was friends with my mum and dad." He looked around. Mrs. Weasley was watching with a frown, no doubt because her Dumbledore-born dreams of having the Boy-Who-Lived were crashing down. Harry finally spotted Hermione, Neville, and the rest coming off the train. "Sirius, I'd like you to meet my friends. This is Hermione Granger," he said excitedly, pulling her over. "I lived with her for a month before school started. And then this's Neville Longbottom. That's Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, and Ernie MacMillan."

"A pleasure to meet Harry's friends," Sirius said. "I hope once I get established, we can have you lot over quite a bit." He looked a Hermione. "So you're the one we're spending Christmas with eh?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows and receiving a nod in reply. "She's a pretty cute bird," he stage whispered to Harry, who blushed along with Hermione. Harry's other friends snickered. So, are you ready to go, Harry?" Sirius asked. "Or do you need to kiss your girlfriend goodbye first?" That earned deeper blushes and more laughing.

"Bad dog," Harry whispered to Sirius. Sirius' eyes initially bulged at that, but then he threw his head back and laughed.

"Let's go, pup," he said. "I'll show you 'round the house."

A few minutes later, Harry was standing in the entry hall of Grimmauld Place. Harry immediately felt that he needed come clean. It would make things so much easier.

"Sirius," he said. "I have something I need to tell you that I haven't told anyone else."

"What's that?" Sirius replied.

"You might want to sit down for this one," Harry replied. "And I'll need you to swear a wizard's oath." That made Sirius' eyebrows go up. And so Harry told Sirius everything. He told him about his previous life, and what had happened to Sirius in that life. He told him about finding the book and sending himself back in time. He told him what he'd been up to so far since coming back, and what steps still needed to be taken.

It was midnight before Harry finally wound down his tale. The Black family grimoire was open to the page with the spell in question, and empty take away containers a paper cups littered the coffee table. Sirius hadn't said much during Harry's tale, and Harry looked at him expectantly. Finally, Sirius stood, wiped his eyes, and wrapped Harry up in big hug.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you for doing what you did. I'll be in your debt forever for clearing my name and getting me out of that hell hole. Don't you ever regret your decision, Harry. You saved me and a bunch of other people too."

"You're welcome," Harry replied. "So which bedroom's mine?"

The next day, Harry flooed to Long Hall with Sirius for some lord training. That continued for the next two days, and Harry learned more than he ever had in his other life. He learned that he could take up his seats on the Wizengamot when he turned eighteen, and that he'd have three of them: Potter, Peverell, and Gryffindor. He also had a hereditary seat on the Hogwarts Board of Governors which wasn't age restricted, but did require him to be emancipated. His spot as heir of the Black lordship was confirmed, and Sirius informed him that a case of dragon pox in his youth had left Sirius sterile, meaning there could be no 'surprise' heirs popping up, though it would still (hopefully) be some time before Sirius passed on, meaning the lordship wouldn't be his until Harry entered old age himself.

The second night, Harry and Sirius went Christmas shopping.

The third night, after returning from Long Hall, Harry found the Slytherin locket and destroyed the horcrux with the basilisk fang. Sirius applauded after it was done.

On Christmas morning, Sirius apparated Harry over to the Grangers neighborhood. It was fortunate that Sirius had been to Kew Gardens in his youth, so he was able to get fairly close to Hermione's house, just a short walk away.

Hermione opened the door and gave him a big hug. "Happy Christmas!" she said.

"Happy Christmas, 'Mione," Harry replied, returning the hug.

"Hi, Mr. Black," Hermione said. "Come in."

"Just call me Sirius, Hermione," Sirius replied, stepping through the door.

"Ok, Sirius," Hermione agreed. "These are my parents, Dan and Emma Granger."

"A pleasure," Sirius said, shaking their hands. "Thanks so much for having us."

"Harry's like the son we never had," Mrs. Granger revealed. "We wouldn't turn him away for anything."

"I feel the same way," Sirius said. They sat down and conversed briefly, and then set to opening presents. Sirius pulled the gifts they'd brought from his pocket and enlarged them, wowing the Grangers with a display of magic. Then he popped them under the tree. Hermione played Santa, and distributed gifts. Harry received a magical stationary set and a novel from the Grangers, a broom servicing kit and some sweets from Sirius, and a fine leather wallet from Hermione. He gave the Grangers a book on quidditch and a gift certificate to a local cinema good for one hundred four free admittances, enough for them to go to the cinema together weekly for a year. He gave Sirius the Marauder's Map, which had Sirius tearing up the moment he saw it. Finally, he gave Hermione a fine gold necklace with a small pendant featuring a rampant golden lion surrounded by tiny rubies.

The rest of the day was spent trading stories, gossiping about friends, and laughing. Mrs. Granger with Harry and Hermione's help laid out a large dinner at one o'clock, followed by a much smaller tea around six. Harry and Sirius took their leave around eight. As they were getting ready to go, Mrs. Granger pointed over Harry and Hermione's heads.

"Harry I think you owe my daughter something," she said. Harry looked up to see a mistletoe floating magically above them.

"Sirius, I swear I'm going to murder you and they won't ever find the body," he growled, blushing madly.

"C'mon and give 'er a smooch, Harry," Sirius replied with a grin. Harry sighed, not really that upset, but embarrassed that their first kiss would be in front of her parents. Harry wrapped her up in a hug, pulled her close, and kissed her gently. He knew she was only twelve, and his body only eleven, and that there would be several years before they could really get together, if that's what they decided on, but Harry wanted this to be special. He wanted to show Hermione what her unwavering support and love meant to him. He was brought out of his musings by a throat clearing.

"I think that's enough, Harry," Mr. Granger said. Harry pulled away startled. Hermione looked a little lost and very happy. She opened her eyes and blushed, looking around.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Well, you've been kissing her for about a minute," Sirius replied. Hermione let out an 'eep' and hid her face in Harry's shoulder. Harry patted her back. He'd been embarrassed plenty of times in his past life, so he just let it roll of his back. He looked at the girl in his arms.

"Thanks for being there for me," Harry whispered to her. "You're my first and best friend. I… I love you, 'Mione." Regardless of her parents watching, she couldn't help but kiss him again, smashing her lips against his.

"Hermione!" Mr. Granger exclaimed, shocked.

"I love you too," Hermione whispered back when she broke the kiss. Louder, she said, "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas, 'Mione," Harry replied. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," she said. "Bye, Sirius."

"Bye, Hermione," Sirius chuckled. "Bye Dan. Bye Emma. Thanks for having us."

"Yes," Harry agreed. "Thanks."

"It was our pleasure," Mrs. Granger replied. "We'll see you both tomorrow." Dan nodded, but didn't add anything, not looking too pleased about his daughter snogging a boy at her age. An elbow in the ribs told Harry that he and Mrs. Granger would be discussing it after they went to bed, and that Mr. Granger would have a cheerier disposition regarding the matter in the morning.

The students weren't expected back at Hogwarts until January 5, and Harry and Hermione spent the balance of the holiday together. Sirius would pop over in the morning and pick Hermione up, and she'd spend the day at Grimmauld while the Grangers were at work, or Sirius would apparate them both over to Long Hall to see Neville. On the weekends, Sirius would bring Harry over, and they'd spend time with the Grangers. The Grangers even used their cinema certificates to take everyone out to a film, though Sirius insisted on buying his own ticket to _The Addams Family_.

The first Saturday in January, Sirius dropped Harry off at Hermione's and said he'd be back in time for lunch. Then he disappeared. For the rest of the holiday, Harry couldn't get Sirius to tell him where he'd gone, but Sirius got a sly smile on his face every time Harry asked.

The train ride back to Hogwarts was awash with stories. Susan and Hannah positively gushed about their time skiing in the Italian Alps. Ernie regaled everyone with his trip to Canada, which included a visit to Niagara Falls, despite it being winter. The Gryffindors' holidays seemed tame by comparison, but the Hufflepuffs all wanted to know how 'the Notorious Sirius Black' was in real life.

That evening at the welcome back feast, Harry discovered what Sirius had done. He was there, sitting next to Professor Flitwick.

"Welcome back to all the students who left for holidays," Professor McGonagall began. "There are a few announcements. First, the Hogwarts Board of Governors met over the holidays, and confirmed my appointment as the Headmistress." There was widespread applause, as McGonagall, though stern, was well-liked. "They also," she continued once the applause had receded, "confirmed my appointment of Professor Moody as Defense Professor. He's agreed to continue in that capacity for the foreseeable future. Finally, they accepted my recommendation for a new Transfiguration professor. Please help me welcome Professor Sirius Black." She started clapping, as did the other professors. Harry, Hermione, Neville, Hannah, Susan, and Ernie joined them, but there was genuine shock on the faces of the rest of the students. Apparently, they still hadn't transitioned from thinking of him as a murderer to an innocent, or at least as innocent as Sirius Black could be. The lackluster applause died down, and McGonagall opened the feast.

The rest of the year passed uneventfully for Harry. Gryffindor won both their remaining quidditch matches, seizing the Quidditch Cup, and making Oliver Wood ecstatic. With Snape reined in, he didn't take as many points (or give as many to his own house) as he would've in Harry's other life. Ravenclaw ended up winning the House Cup. Harry didn't mind that.

On the ride back to King's Cross, the six friends made plans to visit each other over the holidays, with a big dual birthday celebration at Long Hall, where the six would sleep over on the night between Neville and Harry's birthdays, so they could celebrate both. At the station, Harry bid his friends goodbye, with Hermione receiving at least two extra hugs and a kiss on the cheek. He met Sirius, who looked both happy to see him, and appeared to be snickering at catching Harry's interactions with Hermione. As they left the station, he noticed Molly Weasley glaring daggers at him, but he paid it no mind.

The first weekend Harry was back, he and Sirius took a trip to Little Hangleton at Harry's insistence. Together, they tracked down the Gaunt cabin and investigated. They were able to disarm most of the traps around the property, and noted what they couldn't strip away. They returned to Grimmauld Place and hit the library, trying to find what they could. They returned to the Gaunt place the next weekend, and completed the task, finally reaching the ring, removing the enchantments found on it. Without ado, and without touching it, Harry stabbed it with the basilisk fang. In a shriek of black mist, the horcrux was destroyed. Harry grabbed the stone, and pocketed it. Then they went back to Grimmauld.

Harry spent most of the month of July in the company of Hermione, either at the Grangers, Grimmauld, or Long Hall. They could usually be found studying. Harry had come to realize the importance of learning as much as he could. He found that without Ron nagging him all the time to stop studying, that he actually enjoyed it. It also provided an opportunity to become closer with Hermione, which he appreciated. Ever since the kiss at Christmas, he'd come to see her as more than his best friend, but as a possible romantic partner in the future. It was something he considered and thought on from time to time.

By the middle of July, Harry and Hermione had finished their assigned homework, and had begun reading through the Black library at Grimmauld. They also explored the library at Long Hall when they had the chance. They devoured books on charms, transfiguration, defense, potions, runes, arithmancy, magical creatures, politics, law, and history. Harry also enjoyed reading about quidditch, which Hermione expressed only a passing interest in.

At least once a week, they would floo to Long Hall, Bones Manor, Abbott Castle, or Andrew's Rest, the MacMillan estate in the Scottish highlands, or the others would floo to Grimmauld. Together, the children would play, study, or go on outings. Abbott Castle was the most popular destination as it was near enough to the Channel that they could go swimming easily. Harry delighted in seeing Hermione in her red one-piece swimsuit. He also noticed Neville admiring Hannah's blue swimsuit. With increasing frequency, the group would pair off, leaving Ernie and Susan together, which neither of them seemed to mind.

At the end of the summer, Harry and Hermione went to Diagon Alley to pick up their school supplies. Harry noted the announcement at Flourish and Blotts that Gilderoy Lockhart would be signing books there in two days. He made a mental note to be there. Harry took the opportunity to upgrade his trunk, get new robes, and browse Quality Qudditch Supplies for some new seeker armour. He also replenished his potion supplies, and upgraded his equipment above that required for a student.

Two days later, Harry returned to Diagon with Sirius, and they passed the time watching Flourish and Blotts from Florean Fortescue's. When Lucius Malfoy entered, Harry got up, leaving Sirius behind, and ducked in. He nearly ran into Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley, who were in the middle of their argument. Harry deftly moved behind Malfoy, snuck his hand into Ginny's cauldron, and swiped the Diary that Malfoy had left there. No one had noticed him. On his way out, Harry wandlessly and silently cast a tripping jinx at Mr. Malfoy, and as the door closed behind him had the satisfaction of hearing Malfoy cursing loudly as he crashed into a display of books. Harry met up with Sirius, who took them down to the Black family vault at Gringotts.

Sirius, at Harry's urging, had nullified Bellatrix's marriage to Rodolphus LeStrange, and Narcissa's marriage to Malfoy for actions which would embarrass the House of Black. At the same time, he'd reclaimed the dowries paid to both families, as well as ceased payment to the Black family juvenile trust that had been established for Draco. This cost the Malfoys about half of their wealth. The LeStranges were practically bankrupt, but that didn't really matter, as they were in prison anyway, and would stay there indefinitely if Harry had anything to say about it.

In Gringotts, Harry located and retrieved Hufflepuff's Cup from the Black vault, where it sat, having been removed from the LeStrange vault as payment for debts resulting in the recovery of the dowry. Without leaving the vault, Harry immediately pulled out the basilisk fang and stabbed the Diary. He then stabbed the Cup. Harry never got used to hearing the horcruxes shriek as they expired. Two more horcruxes were destroyed.

His last act at Gringotts was to meet with Ripclaw to see about contracting the goblins to harvest the basilisk carcass. Unsurprisingly, they were amenable, and scheduled the harvesting for the first weekend after Harry returned to school.

Right before the start of school, Harry was visited by Dobby. Dobby warned him not to return to Hogwarts. Harry explained that he knew all about the plot, and that he'd already obtained and destroyed the Diary, and killed the basilisk. He also explained that he knew that Malfoy was behind it all. Harry also commiserated with the elf, but explained that he didn't see a way to set Dobby free right then, but that he'd work on it.

Harry returned to school with his friends on September first. The basilisk harvesting ended up netting him a cool million galleons, which was a nice addition to his trust account. With no Diary and no basilisk, the school year was perhaps the most peaceful and normal Harry could remember. Harry and his friends also continued their dueling instruction with Professor Flitwick. The Gryffindor quidditch team again won all three of its games, earning the Quidditch Cup, despite Malfoy Senior using a significant portion of his remaining funds to buy Draco's way onto the Slytherin team with new brooms. Hermione was the top student of her year, with Harry only slightly behind her. Together with Neville, who'd done a lot of extra credit in the greenhouses for Professor Sprout, they'd managed to earn enough house points for Gryffindor to seize the House Cup too. In his end of year meeting with Professor Black, the new head of Gryffindor, Harry selected Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, and Arithmancy as his electives for third year.

Summer between second and third years passed much the same as the previous one. Harry and his friends hopped houses, studying and having fun. They swam and played. Sirius also took Harry and the Grangers on a two week holiday to a Black family property in the British Virgin Islands, where they got ridiculous tans and generally had a ball. Harry and Hermione got even closer, much to the consternation of her father, and delight of her mother and Sirius.

Harry's third year was nearly as uneventful as the previous year. The only hiccup came in Care of Magical Creatures class, when Draco was inadvisably rude to Buckbeak the Hippogriff. The resulting drama saw Draco suspended for two weeks for lying and failing to follow instructions, and Lucius sputtering, but lacking the funds necessary to buy anyone off. Harry had received a Firebolt broom from Sirius for his birthday that summer, and used it to good effect on the quidditch pitch, where Gryffindor handily won all three of its games.

At Christmas, Harry and Hermione, and Susan took a few days to participate in the European Teen Dueling Tournament on Flitwick's recommendation. He'd deemed them good enough to start entering competitive duels. Hermione was out first, after the third round. Susan fell next in round four. Harry held on until the quarterfinals three rounds later, but lost to a Dutch wizard three years older than Harry. Flitwick had been well pleased with the results. The Dutch wizard Harry had lost to ended up being the tournament champion. After comparing notes, Harry learned that Hermione had lost to him too.

Their third year ended with Hermione again at the top of her class, with Harry nipping at her heels. In a move that surprised everyone but his friends Neville was fifth, behind Hannah. Susan and Ernie trailed, but not by much. Harry did best in Defense, Transfiguration, and Ancient Runes. Hermione excelled at Charms, Potions, and Arithmancy. Neville took top spot in Herbology. Hannah did best in Care of Magical Creatures. Susan was taking Muggle Studies, and earned the top spot there. Ernie spent too much time studying Susan third year and consequently wasn't the best at any subject. They were the first couple to start officially dating.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I had a wonderful dream that I was worth billions of pounds because I owned the Harry Potter franchise, but then I woke up, and realized I own nothing. This isn't my park, I just play here.

 **Chapter 4: Darkening Skies**

Summer between third and fourth year was even more fun than the previous year. The entire month of July saw Harry and Hermione enjoying a holiday on the Azure coast of France. Harry goggled at Hermione when they went to the beach, which no one had told Harry was topless. Mr. Granger was very protective of Hermione the first day. That night Harry overheard loud whispers coming from the Grangers' bedroom. The next day Mr. Granger was less protective, but obviously upset. Harry continued to enjoy the view, while trying to maintain his cool and keep his groin under control. Harry snickered to himself as he thought how much Ron would like to see Hermione now. Not in this lifetime, Harry thought.

The end of July saw things return to normal, with the now traditional Potter-Longbottom birthday bash sleepover. Sirius treated Harry, Hermione, and Neville to the Quidditch World Cup. There, they met Susan and her aunt with Hannah and Ernie in tow. Together the eight of them enjoyed the game. Sirius spent quite a bit of the game talking to Amelia Bones, who was about Sirius' age. Harry had never considered them as a possible couple, seeing as both had died before his seventh year in his previous life, but thought that they might make a good match if they gave it a try.

Harry and his friends all left after the game ended, thus missing the Death Eater parade, and the appearance of the Dark Mark. Harry read about it afterwards in the _Daily Prophet_. The story said that Ron Weasley's wand was used to cast the mark, but that it had obviously been stolen from him, as it would be beyond his abilities to cast it.

Harry sighed inwardly on the train ride back to Scotland, knowing he would probably have to die this year. He looked out the window as he patted his pocket. He could feel the copy of the Marauder's map that Sirius had made that summer. It was identical in every respect to the original.

Unlike the last go around, Moody was already at the staff table during the feast. Harry glanced at the copy of the Marauder's map in his lap. Crouch had succeeded. The real Professor Moody was locked away in his trunk in his office.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, looking at the map in his lap.

"Moody's not Moody," Harry replied, pointing at the head table on the map. Hermione gasped.

"Who's Bartemius Crouch, Jr.?" she asked.

"Dunno," Harry shrugged. "Barty Crouch, Sr. is the head of the Department of International Cooperation. He was at the World Cup, remember? Probably his son."

"Where's the real Moody?" Hermione asked.

"There," Harry replied, pointing out Moody's dot in his office. "Crouch must be keeping him imprisoned in his office."

"But why?" Hermione asked.

"Look at Crouch," Harry said. A few moments later, Crouch took a drink from his flask and shuddered. It was so minute an action that if they hadn't been looking at him, they would've missed it. "I'll bet you that that's not Moody's usual drink of choice in that flask. I'd bet you it's polyjuice potion." Hermione's eyes widened slightly and she nodded. They'd studied polyjuice potion previously, but never made any, or seen it used, until now.

"We have to tell McGonagall!" Hermione said excitedly.

"Let's tell her in private, after the feast," Harry cautioned. "That way she can contact the authorities without tipping off Crouch."

And that's what they did. The rest of the feast passed without incident, except for the announcement of the Triwizard Tournament. After the feast, they went to the Headmistress' Office and showed her the map.

"Great Merlin's Ghost!" McGonagall exclaimed. "Barty Crouch, Jr. is supposed to be dead! He was… is a Death Eater, and he was sent to Azkaban. There was an article in the paper that he'd died. It actually happened about the same time his mum died."

"I wonder how he escaped," Harry mused. "Maybe if the Aurors checked the visitor logs for Azkaban that might shed some light on the situation?"

"You think he had help?" McGonagall asked. She'd learned by now that Harry had what she called 'hunches' that usually turned out to be right.

"I don't know," Harry replied. "But since he was supposed to have died in Azkaban, but instead he's here, it would seem to point to him faking his own death. And you said that it happened about the same time his mum died. He's obviously using polyjuice now, so he could've used it then to escape. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume he transfigured something to look like him, and used polyjuice to escape." Harry knew this wasn't exactly how it had happened, but a quick check of the Azkaban visitor's logs would show that Crouch's parents had visited him the day before he'd 'died.' It was also well known that Mrs. Crouch was also dying, and would die soon thereafter. It was also well known that there had been a closed casket funeral for Mrs. Crouch, despite not dying of anything contagious or violent, which was odd.

"I'll be looking into the matter," McGonagall promised, effectively dismissing them.

The next morning, all the talk was of the Triwizard Tournament, until breakfast was brought abruptly to the end by the arrival of Rufus Scrimgeour and two other Aurors. They strode right up to the head table.

"Bartemius Crouch, Jr.," Scrimgeour shouted. He didn't get any farther before pandemonium broke loose. Realizing the game was up when Scrimgeour said his name, Crouch pulled his wand and started firing. One of the Aurors went down hard, blown back into the students of the Hufflepuff table by a blasting hex. Suddenly, Crouch went down, stunned by Flitwick, who'd been sitting next to him.

"Thank you," Scrimgeour said, brushing off his robes. The other Auror immediately turned to care for the downed one. "Bartemius Crouch, Jr.," Scrimgeour began again to the stunned Crouch, who couldn't hear him. He walked around the table to get closer to him. "You're under arrest for kidnapping, impersonating a retired auror, fraud, escaping confinement, and Death Eater activities. I will review these charges and your rights with you when you're conscious." He quickly bound the stunned man, and levitated him out of the hall, with the other two Aurors following behind, the one helping the other.

"That was strange," Neville said, craning his neck to see the damage at the Hufflepuff table. He didn't need to ensure that Hannah was alright, though, as she was sitting next to him.

"If I may have your attention, please," McGonagall said. "It has been discovered that a criminal, Bartemius Crouch, Jr., a murderer who escaped from Azkaban some time ago, was impersonating Professor Moody. Professor Moody has been found safe, and is currently recuperating. Defense classes will be cancelled for the week. Professor Moody would like you to use the free time to read the first five chapters in your defense texts, prior to class next week. Thank you."

September, October, and November passed fairly uneventfully for Harry. Cedric became the only Hogwarts champion, and Harry happily cheered for him. Harry continued his dueling lessons with Flitwick, and organized an unofficial intramural quidditch league starting after the other schools arrived at Halloween. This informal league had eight teams, and weren't restricted by house or age, though first years still weren't allowed their own brooms at Hogwarts.

Harry's team was the same as his house team, though the keeper position was filled by Hufflepuff and close friend Ernie MacMillan. Only two teams were exclusive in their members: the Slytherin team and the Durmstrang team. The rest all had members of at least two houses. One team even had players from all four houses, and Beauxbatons. Even the Beauxbatons team had a Ravenclaw on it.

The quidditch league turned out to be a brilliant idea. There were matches every weekend, and they were rollicking unorganized affairs. Without house loyalty, people cheered for everyone. The only champion to play was Viktor Krum, which was unsurprising, as he was a professional quidditch star, and he wanted to stay up on his game. Harry's team, known informally as the Lions, was unsurprisingly good. Harry snagged the first victory of the year on the first weekend in November.

The first two weekends each saw a Saturday and a Sunday game. That Saturday, Harry's Lions beat a predominantly Hufflepuff team, the Badgers. The next day, the Slytherins trounced a mostly Ravenclaw team called the Ravens. The next weekend saw a mixed team going by the name of the Hogsmeade Harpies beat the mostly Beauxbaton team uninspiringly called the Beaux Dépliants, and the Durmstrang team beat a mixed team calling themselves Hogwarts' Revenge. The third weekend in November found Harry's team trouncing the Ravens. Harry found most of the teams' play uninspiring, but enjoyed watching Krum snag the snitch nonetheless.

Harry managed to pass along to Cedric that the first task was dragons two weeks before the task, claiming he'd flown over the dragons during a practice. Cedric thanked him, and managed to outperform Krum to claim the top spot, if only barely.

The first week of December brought the announcement of the Yule Ball. Harry glanced over at Krum, who was eyeing Hermione, and knew he'd have to make his move soon. He reasoned there was no time like the present. He leaned close to her.

"'Mione," he said quietly after clearing his throat. "Would you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Hermione looked over at him without moving her head much as she processed his words. Her fork hung there, half a length to her face with some cake on it. Once she'd had a moment to comprehend what he'd asked, she blushed and smiled, trying not to grin like an idiot and failing. Eventually, she put her fork down, composed her face, and turned to him, replying, "Sure."

Then she realized what she'd said. "I mean…" she stammered. "Yes, I'd like that very much."

"Sure would do, 'Mione," Harry replied with a chuckle. "I'm not bloody Shakespeare over here myself." The two of them dissolved in laughter as the stress and anxiety of the moment ebbed. Harry realized there shouldn't have been much of that anyway. He'd seen her on a topless beach, for crying out loud. Still, it seemed momentous for him, asking her on a date. Then he realized that she might not have taken it like that. "Erm, 'Mione?" he asked, suddenly the anxiety back in spades.

"Yes?" she asked, after swallowing some cake.

"When I asked you to the ball just now?" Harry said unsure. "You do understand I mean like a date, right, and not as friends?" Hermione looked at him as though he were the daftest man on earth.

"I'd imagine so," she replied. "If you'd wanted to go as friends, I'd've expected you to ask me a few weeks from now."

"I just wanted to make sure," Harry allowed, sighing as the stress again flowed away. "I mean, I've seen Krum stealing glances at you, and I didn't want him to steal you away from me. You mean a lot to me, 'Mione, and it would kill me to see you fall for someone else."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said sweetly, touching his cheek. "I fell for you years ago. I've been waiting for you to ask me out for a while."

"You have?" Harry asked. She nodded. "God, I've been so stupid."

"No you haven't," Hermione responded. "Well, not any more stupid than any of the other boys, and far less stupid than most."

"Congratulations, Harry," Hannah said from across the table. Then Harry remembered they weren't alone or being particularly quiet.

"Erm… Thanks?" Harry tried. "By the way… Neville, shouldn't you…"

"Oh, yeah," Neville said from next to Hannah. "Um… Hannah, d'you wanna go to the Yule Ball with me?"

"Took you long enough," Hannah said, slapping his shoulder.

"Suze," Ernie asked, nudging Susan. "You wanna?"

"You bet," Susan replied with a grin. Turning to the group she opined, "That's how you do things."

"Excuse me for being a gentleman about it," Harry defended himself while rolling his eyes. "I don't have the benefit of a pre-existing romantic relationship with my date."

"Well, now you will," Susan pointed out.

"Thanks, Suze," Harry replied. Under the table, he squeezed Hermione's hand. She beamed at him.

Two days later Harry and his friends were studying in the library when Viktor Krum approached.

"Excus' me," he said in his stilted English. "May I haf a vord vith you, Her-me-oh-nee?" She looked up at him, both surprised that he'd be brave enough to approach her when surrounded by friends, and having expected him to approach her at some point.

Harry watched as she rose and followed Krum over to a corner. She conversed with him briefly, before he nodded sadly. Then he glanced over at Harry before turning and leaving. Hermione watched him leave before rejoining her friends.

"Rejecting someone's really hard," she commented as she sat.

"Wait," Hannah gasped. "Krum asked you out?"

"To the ball," Hermione confirmed.

"Wow," Susan laughed quietly, "He's not very observant, is he?"

"More like, he's got tunnel vision where Hermione's concerned," Ernie added. "He can see her, but not the rest of us. To anyone paying attention, they'd know Hermione was totally hung up on Harry." Hermione gave Harry a smile, and his heart fluttered.

That week the Badgers lost a close game to Slytherin. The next week Dumstrang completely humiliated the Beaux Dépliants. It wasn't even close, with a final score of 510 to 20. Most of the school was looking forward to the upcoming holiday and the Yule Ball.

The night of the Yule Ball, Harry was waiting in the Gryffindor common room with Dean and Seamus, who were taking Parvati and Lavender respectively. Fay Dunbar had already come down, looking radiant, to find her Ravenclaw date in the entry hall escorted by Neville, who was going to meet up with Hannah. Sally-Anne Perks wouldn't be coming down, Harry knew, as she'd returned home the weekend before.

Parvati and Lavender came down together. Parvati was in a pink sari and Lavender in a pale grey gown. They both looked beautiful, and Dean and Seamus both grinned like they'd won the jackpot.

They were in the middle of greeting their dates when Hermione appeared. Harry was stunned. She was gorgeous and elegant in a light blue gown, with her hair worn up with light makeup and gold earrings and necklace sparkling with diamonds. Harry had known about the earrings and necklace, as they'd come from the Potter vaults, but the rest was a surprise. Everyone in the common room paused as she came down the stairs. Had Harry looked, he would've seen dropped jaws on every male and a disbelieving stare in every girl's eyes save Parvati and Lavender's. They, of course, had helped her.

"There aren't words, 'Mione," Harry said, awed, as she came near. She looked even better than she had the last time he'd seen her come down to the Yule Ball. "You look amazing." He kissed her cheek before he finally spared a look elsewhere. "Everyone's jealous. The girls because they're not you, and the boys because they're not with you."

"I'm sure they're just jealous they're not with you, handsome," she replied. Then she looked around too, and the remaining stares made her uncomfortable. "Can we go? The stares are starting to creep me out."

"Sure," Harry replied. Without another word, he led her out the portrait hole and down to the entry hall, where they met Neville and Hannah, and Ernie and Susan. The other girls gushed at Hermione's outfit. In Harry's opinion, she was far and away the most beautiful girl there. He saw Ron Weasley, alone, drooling over Hermione from afar. Harry shot him an unkind look, which Ron didn't respond to.

Harry was happy to see Ginny there on the arm of Michael Corner. She looked happy, and was in the middle of a group of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw third and fourth years. Apparently, the diary had isolated her in the old time stream. Without that isolation, she'd managed to make quite a few friends, and was actually popular. Harry spotted Fay and her date with them.

The doors to the Great Hall opened, and Harry led Hermione inside. They selected a table with their friends, and watched as the champions opened the ball. Harry ended up dancing with a few girls from his year, including a few he wouldn't have anticipated. While Hermione held first bill most of the night, he also danced a few dances with Hannah and Susan. Katie Bell, Mandy Brocklehurst, Tracey Davis, Fay Dunbar, Daphne Greengrass, Morag MacDougal, Padma Patil, and Parvati Patil all claimed dances as well. Harry ended up having a great time. He wasn't even mad when Krum asked to dance with Hermione.

At the end of the night, Harry and Hermione returned to Gryffindor tower, changed, and met again in the common room, trunks in hand. Together, they made their way to the Headmistress' Office, and with her permission, flooed to Grimmauld Place.

"Hey, pup," Sirius said from the couch after he arrived. "Did you have a good time?" The floo flashed again and Hermione emerged. "Judging by the smile on her face, it looks like you did."

"Yeah," Harry allowed. "It was a pretty good time."

"You know where your room is," Sirius said easily. "Put Hermione next to you." Harry nodded.

"G'night, Sirius," he said, as he led Hermione up the stairs. At the top he led Hermione down the hall. "Your room's there," he said, pointing to the next room down. "Thanks for going with me. I had a great time."

"Me too," Hermione replied with a smile. She leaned in and kissed him hard. He wrapped her up, and her tongue invaded his mouth. They kissed for what felt like hours, but was really only minutes. At last, they came up for air.

"Wow," Harry said, panting. "Would you like to go out again sometime?"

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" Hermione asked, grinning.

"Yes," Harry confirmed firmly. "Yes. That's what I'm doing." Hermione replied by kissing him hungrily again. Several minutes later Harry finally asked, "So is that a yes?"

"That is a definite yes," Hermione replied.

"Great," Harry said. "There's just one problem now."

"What's that?" Hermione asked.

"I don't want to let you go," he informed her.

"Me either," Hermione replied. "But I have to put my trunk away."

"Alright," Harry said reluctantly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Silly," she laughed. "It's after midnight. You'll see me later today."

"Fine," Harry said. "Later." With that, Hermione disappeared into her room. Harry entered his, and readied for bed. He'd just turned out the light when the door opened. "'Mione!?" he asked shocked. "What are you doing?"

"Coming to bed," she reasoned. "What did Sirius tell you?"

"Um…" he paused, thinking.

"He said..." she said, sliding next to him and pulling him close. "To put me next to you." He laughed quietly. "I told you I'd see you later today."

"So, um… What do…" Harry stammered when he'd stopped grinning, and realized he was in bed with his girlfriend.

"Sleep," Hermione said. "I just want to sleep. And maybe snog a little. I'm only fifteen, Harry. We've got years yet."

"Ok," Harry agreed, not really sad. "Sleep. G'night." He kissed her once, and closed his eyes.

He awoke later than usual the next day. He could feel the heat from Hermione next to him; the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. He was spooning her, his right arm wrapped around her, hand palming her breast. He didn't want to get up, ever. He was cognizant of the fact that he shouldn't be groping Hermione, at least not yet. And he didn't want her to think that he was taking advantage of her, and their new status as a couple.

Gently, he started moving his hand. He'd almost cleared her breast when Hermione's hand shot up and placed it back. She snuggled into his big spoon and gave a satisfied moan.

"Good morning," she said. "Sleep well?"

"Very," he allowed. Now fully aware of what was going on he relaxed, allowing his morning wood to press into her rear.

"I can tell," Hermione laughed. "Me too. Waking up like this is something I could definitely get used to."

There was a sudden knock on the door. Both teens gasped, and Harry's hand moved quickly into safer territory, despite already being out of sight under the cover. Then the door opened, revealing a beaming Sirius.

"Morning, you two," he said. "You need to learn to whisper quieter. I'm not going to pry," he continued. "It looks like you're more of a couple today than you were the last time I saw you." The two blushed at that. "It's ok," Sirius laughed. "It looks like you two are being more responsible than I would've been at your age."

"Oh?" Hermione asked, curious.

"Well, you do still have your pajamas on," he pointed out. "If I'd gotten a bird in bed when I was fourteen, I would've vanished her clothes. 'Course, that didn't happen until I was sixteen, and it got me slapped. So, good on you, Harry." The three of them laughed at that.

"Well, we were taking your instructions to heart," Harry said. "You did say that Hermione was to be next to me. You didn't say how close."

"Check out the balls on this one," Sirius crowed.

"That's not all he's been hiding," Hermione informed him with a smile, grinding her rear into Harry's crotch.

"And that's my cue to exit," Sirius said as Harry blushed furiously. "Brunch is on. Don't spend too much time in bed. Keep the clothes on in each other's presence for today at least. Showers are to be separate and in your own bathrooms."

"He didn't say anything about hands staying on top of clothing," Hermione observed after Sirius had closed the door.

"Oh for the love of…" Sirius said through the door. "Act like adults." Then he left.

Hermione promptly put Harry's hand back on her breast.

"Um…" Harry sputtered. "What…"

"I'm acting like an adult," Hermione said. "Adults do things like this. They lay in bed with the person they love, and snog and snuggle. Now, why is your hand still on top of my nightie? Honestly, Harry. It's like you're not even paying attention."

"Wow," Harry replied, quickly moving his hand under her nightie and caressing her breast. "I… I love you too, 'Mione."

"What?" Hermione asked, turning suddenly, so she could look Harry in the eyes.

"You said you loved me," Harry said. "I said I loved you too." Hermione's eyes got big.

"I did say that, didn't I," Hermione observed. "Though I bolloxed it up right and proper." She hugged him as best she could in the bed. "I love you, Harry Potter, with everything that I am. I'm so happy to have you for a boyfriend." She sealed the declaration with a kiss.

They lay in bed for a few more minutes before Harry's stomach rumbled.

"I think it's time to get up, much as I don't want to," he admitted. "I'm starving and I need to use the loo."

"Plus, Neville will be over soon," Hermione agreed. "Alright. Pooh." Slowly, the two got up and performed their morning routines. After about fifteen minutes, they stumbled down the stairs to find Sirius in the kitchen eating waffles and sausage.

"So you're dating now, are you?" Sirius asked by way of greeting.

"Yup," Harry replied, grabbing two plates. "Asked her last night. We had a great time."

"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order," Sirius allowed.

"Probably for Neville and Hannah too," Hermione added. "If they're not a couple this morning I'll owe you a galleon."

"No bet," Harry said. "He told me he'd asked her last night."

"When?" Hermione asked.

"When I went up to get my trunk," Harry informed her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione asked.

"It didn't seem important at the time," Harry replied. "I guess I was distracted by you. You didn't let your hair down until after we got home."

"Aww," Hermione cooed, taking the plate Harry offered her.

"No tomatoes," Harry pointed out. "She doesn't like them."

"Too bloody right, I don't," Hermione agreed. And the day started.

Harry had one thing to clear up with Hermione before Neville arrived. He took her into the library. Hermione was momentarily distracted by the books. Harry grabbed the Black family grimoire off the shelf and opened it.

"Harry, why are you showing me a blank book?" she asked.

"It's important to the story," he replied. "Do you know why it appears blank to you?" She shook her head. "This is the Black family grimoire. It can only be read by family members. Since you're not a family member, you can't read it."

"But you can," Hermione observed. "How?"

"Besides the fact that I'm distantly a Black by blood, I'm also a Black by adoption, as well as being the heir to the head of house," Harry explained. "It's not important right now. The important thing is what you can't see."

"What can't I see?" Hermione asked.

"There's a spell on this page," Harry told her. "It's a spell to send a person's consciousness back in time. Do you understand what that means?"

"It means you can't send the person back in time, but you can send your mind back in time into a younger version of you?" she guessed after puzzling it for a bit.

"That's it exactly," Harry agreed. "It should tip you off to what I need to tell you."

"You've done this spell before," Hermione reasoned, glancing between the empty page and his face.

"I have," Harry nodded. "Before you get mad, can I explain myself?"

"I'd hope so," Hermione said, not yet mad, but prepared to be.

"I did this spell in 2005," Harry began. Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I was not in a good place mentally. When I performed the spell, Sirius had been dead for nine years. Remus Lupin, Fred Weasley, and Lavender Brown had been dead for seven years. I'd just found out my wife was only my wife because she'd been feeding me love potions, and that she'd been cheating on me the entire time we'd been together."

"Who was she?" Hermione asked, eyes narrowed.

"Ginny Weasley," Harry said.

"That bitch!" Hermione cried.

"It wasn't her," Harry allowed. "I mean, not really. Dumbledore had convinced her mum that she could marry me, and they'd end up with my money and Ginny could be famous and live the good life. Her mum brewed the potions for her and for Ron."

"Who'd Ron dose then?" Hermione asked.

"You," Harry replied. "You never found out. I only found out when a random potion test at work caught a loyalty potion. They retested me for everything and found the love potion too. Once Ginny was arrested, it all came out. She was cheating with Dean Thomas who she really loved. Ron had been dosing you. They were looking for Mrs. Weasley and Ron, and told me to go home. I came here, and was extremely mad. I found the spell and did it."

"How far back did you go?" Hermione wanted to know.

"July 31, 1991," Harry said. "My eleventh birthday."

"You meeting me in Richmond Green wasn't an accident, was it?" Hermione asked, putting the puzzle pieces together rather quickly.

"No," Harry revealed. "I was missing my best friend. The only person I knew who hadn't hurt me ever. In the other timeline I met you and Ron on the Hogwarts Express. You two were my first two friends. Ron would hate me sometimes and come back, but you were always there. You were always my friend."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Hermione asked, tears forming.

"I wanted to," Harry allowed. "But I couldn't just walk up to you in the park and say, 'Hi, I'm a twenty-five year old in an eleven year old's body, and you've been my best friend for fourteen years now. Wanna grab a curry?' I wanted to tell you so many times, but when's the right time for a conversation where I admit to basically lying to you for as long as you've known me? I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. I knew it would hurt you whenever I did, but I just couldn't wait any longer. I told Sirius a while ago. I'm planning on telling Neville later today."

"Why now?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Because I can't keep it from you anymore," Harry explained. "I can't keep something this big from my girlfriend; from the love of my life. If it hadn't been for Ginny poisoning me with love potion, there would've been no one but you. I realize that now."

"So you're twenty-nine, now?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I have twenty-nine years of experience," Harry replied. "But I'm just fourteen."

"Ok," Hermione said, setting herself. "What time's Neville getting here?"

"One," Harry informed her.

"Ok," Hermione nodded. "You have…" she checked the clock, "three hours. I want to know everything. Go." So Harry told her everything he could. He went through each year from first to what would've been his seventh, describing the events in as much detail as he could remember. He told her about meeting her first year, the troll, and Quirrell. He told her about the diary and the chamber of Secrets, and her getting petrified. He told her about Sirius' escape from Azkaban and the manhunt third year, and how they rescued Buckbeak. He told her about the Triwizard Tournament, and the return of Voldemort. He told her about learning occlumency from Snape, Umbridge, and the Battle of the Ministry. He told her about Dumbledore dying, and the attack on Hogwarts. He told her about escaping and fleeing with her and Ron, living in the forest hunting horcruxes, and the final battle. Finally, he told her about her relationship with Ron, and his with Ginny, and how everything seemed to be great until that day. "I see," she said at last. "And how is it this go around?"

"Well, I've managed to deal with most of the problems I knew about, and a few I didn't," Harry replied. "The horcruxes are gone except for Nagini and I. Sirius is in the clear. Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Ron are safely marginalized. Snape is cowed. Voldemort is greatly reduced."

"What do you mean about the problems you didn't know about?" Hermione asked, curious.

"I didn't know until I came back that my parents had a will," Harry revealed. "It clearly laid out who was responsible for their protection, and stated what was to happen to me in the event of their deaths. Long story short, Dumbledore not only cast the fidelius on my parents' house, tying Peter to the charm, he witnessed my parents' will, so he knew the contents. He had the will sealed, had Sirius thrown in Azkaban, and made himself my guardian so he could steal from me and control me."

"Was that it?" Hermione asked.

"Pretty much," Harry shrugged. He looked at her sadly. "I'm really sorry, Hermione. And I totally understand if you want nothing to do with me now."

"Hey," she said, glaring at him. "I think I get to make that decision, not you. Your arguments for not telling me were well reasoned, and I can't think of a time better than now you could've shared this with me. Of course I'm upset with you, but if you think I'm throwing away four years of hard work on you over something as trivial as a bit of magic, you've gone round the twist, Mr. Potter. Now, I'm going to deal with this massive shock, and you're going to support me by giving me whatever additional information I require. Now, I believe a hug is appropriate, as I've just learned some rather devastating news." Though her tone was reprimanding, a smile tugged at the edges of her mouth. She held out her arms. Harry wasn't so stupid as to not fill them, grasping her into a tight hug.

"Thank God," he whispered. "I was sure I'd lose you."

"Not in this lifetime, Harry," she whispered back.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I've still made no money off Harry Potter. It ain't mine.

 **Chapter 5: Voldemort's Demise**

Neville arrived via floo at one. He was met by Harry, Hermione, and Sirius. Harry sat him down and went through the time travel bullet points. While Hermione had gotten three hours of explanation, Neville only got one. He was shocked, but not angry. In fact, he seemed to believe that he'd gotten quite the deal by getting the opportunity to become Harry's friend instead of Ron. That it had netted him a girlfriend four years earlier than he would've gotten otherwise was only icing on the cake.

"So that brings me to the real reason I asked you here today," Harry finished. "I need your help."

"With what?" Neville asked.

"Killing Voldemort," Harry replied.

"Run that by me again?" Neville pressed.

"We're going to hunt down Voldemort, and I'll kill him," Harry expounded.

"I'm going with you," Hermione said firmly.

"Of course you are," Harry replied. "So is Sirius."

"I am?" Sirius asked.

"Duh," Harry said. "You're my guardian. What's the point if you don't guard me?"

"Touché," Sirius replied flatly.

"Plus, you're the only one who can apparate us there," Harry added.

"Where's there?" Sirius asked.

"The Gaunt House," Harry replied. "It's the closest spot you know to Riddle Manor, which is only a short walk away."

"Great, a glorified taxi driver," Sirius fake-grumped.

"Hey, it's not like that," Harry joked. "You're also a glorified baby sitter."

"Are we going to go, or are you two going to trade barbs all day?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione's right," Harry said. "Sirius will take me and Hermione first, then come back for Neville. Sirius?" Harry held out his hand. Hermione did likewise, and Sirius took them both. A moment later they were in the English countryside. Sirius dropped their hands and apparated away. "This way," Harry pointed, walking a few paces down the dirt road they'd appeared on. Sirius reappeared with Neville. Harry waved them over.

"Neville," Harry said, pulling out the Sword of Gryffindor. "I want you to take this. You and Sirius are going snake hunting."

"Why me?" Sirius asked.

"Because you've got a canine nose, and you can sniff out snakes better than Hermione or I," Harry reasoned. "Now get to it. Nagini needs to be dead before I can kill Voldemort. We're going to go scout out the manor. Meet us there. It's down this road just before you get to the village. You can't miss it."

Sirius nodded before shifting into the large black dog Harry had come to love, and sniffed the air. He looked at Neville and then loped off into the woods. Neville hurried to catch up.

Harry and Hermione wordlessly set off down the road. The wood gave way to fields, and Harry could see the manor sitting on a hill ahead to the left. He didn't know how long Voldemort had been living there, but he didn't think it was too long, probably less than nine months. After all, Trelawney didn't give the prophecy regarding Crouch escaping to get to Voldemort until May of the previous year in the other timeline. It had to have taken several months at least for Crouch to track him down and bring him back. That, and the vision he remembered had taken place in late July. Figure he occupied the home in late July. At best, Crouch would've had a month to secure the site and track down and imprison Moody. Harry stopped at the gate, and waved his arm, doing a bit of wandless magic. There was nothing; no magical signature at all. Voldemort was hiding from the magical world by not performing magic. Ingenious.

"Come on," Harry said. "It's safe." He leapt over the fence, rather than trust the gate to be well-oiled. He stopped before he mounted the steps, though, and silenced his and Hermione's feet. He raised a finger to his lips indicating quiet, silenced the door hinges, and opened it.

The house looked as he remembered: dark and musty. If Harry remembered correctly, Voldemort was using a first floor room as his lair. Harry immediately located the stairs, and mounted them, careful to use the outside of the treads to minimize squeaky stairs. He and Hermione made it to the top without incident. The door at the end of the hall was opened.

Harry decided now was the time. He leaned over and whispered into Hermione's ear.

"I'm going to confront Voldemort," he said, barley audibly. "To get rid of the horcrux in my head, he has to kill me, but don't worry. I'll come back to life. This has happened before. It'll be ok. You stay here, and wait for Sirius and Neville. Ok?" Hermione looked unsure, but nodded.

Harry unsilenced his feet, and casually walked down the hall.

"Is that you, Barty?" came a high voice on the other side of the door. Harry pushed the door open.

"No," Harry replied simply. "Barty's through the veil."

"Harry Potter," the homunculus Voldemort drawled, quickly masking his horror and discomfort at his appearance and declaration. "Come to die?"

"Not today," Harry replied smugly. "But you can give it your best shot." Harry eyed the wand in the baby's chubby little fingers.

" _Avada Kedavra_!" Voldemort shouted in his high, squeaky voice. The sickly green bolt slammed into Harry, who didn't bother to move. "Idiot," Voldemort commented with a smile once Harry had collapsed to the floor.

Harry blinked his eyes open. He was laying on Platform 9¾ at King's Cross in a swirl of mist. Harry was happy to see that some things hadn't changed. Slowly the mist resolved itself, the features of the station becoming more and more defined. Harry heard the cry of a baby. He looked over and saw the expected swaddled infant under the bench. He didn't bother approaching.

"Harry," came a woman's voice from behind him. "My foolish, brilliant, darling boy." He turned around slowly. Not Dumbledore this time, of course, since he wasn't dead yet. He recognized the voice, but didn't dare to hope. Then he saw her: his mum. The green-eyed red head was walking towards him at a stately pace, dressed in a white shift. She was barefoot.

"Mum?" Harry asked, barely able to believe his eyes.

"Yes, Harry," she replied with a smile. "It's good to see you." He hugged her tightly.

"It's good to see you too," Harry agreed. "Is Dad around?"

"Not here," she answered. "But he's with me."

"That's good," Harry said. "So do you have a message for me, or should I just tell you you can take Tom Riddle's soul and let me go back?"

"I know what you did, Harry," his mum said, smiling sadly.

"How much do you know?" Harry asked, wondering.

"I know the you that inhabits your body isn't the you who was born into it," she replied. "Or, more specifically, I know that it's that and more. I know it's the result of a spell, but that's all."

"Things…" Harry said, pausing. "Hadn't gone so well the last time 'round," he allowed. "I was twenty-five. My wife snagged me with a love potion for my money, and I was a cuckold. Sirius and Remus were dead. My best friend had been ensnared with another love potion. The people who were responsible for it all were people I'd thought were friends, but turned out to be enemies. There was so much that'd been kept from me. The whole thing left me feeling abused, and wrung out, and dirty. I was violated by the people I'd loved and trusted. I just… couldn't take it anymore. This seemed the better option to suicide."

"And yet, here you are," Lily said with a smile, arms wide indicating the station.

"This had to be," Harry said. "Because of him." Harry pointed to the baby Voldemort.

"I know," his mother agreed. "You seem to have a good handle on things now, though."

"It only took twenty-nine years and one do-over," Harry chuckled. "I've missed you, mum."

"I know," Lily said, hugging him. "But I'll always be there for you, even if you can't see me." Harry remembered how his parents had come out of Voldemort's wand during their battle in the graveyard.

"I know," Harry said. "I wish I'd had your guidance growing up. I wanted so badly what the other children had. I know you loved me, even more than most mums, and that helped a bit."

"You've someone else who cares for you now," his mum observed. "It's almost time to go back to her."

"Yeah," Harry said sadly. "As much as I want to see you and Dad again, I hope I'm not back here for a very, very long time."

"I have a feeling you won't be," Lily said with a smile. She hugged him again. "Now it's time for you to wake up." She backed up into the rapidly encroaching mist as the station dissolved into the ether.

Suddenly Harry was back on the floor of Riddle Manor. His eyes snapped open. He was laying to the side of the chair the homunculus was in. He couldn't see Voldemort from the angle he was at, and he used that to his advantage, pulling out his wand and quietly rolling into a position where he could easily get to his feet. Without a word, or fanfare; without monologuing, explaining, or announcing himself; Harry rose and let loose a wordless reductor curse at the homunculus Voldemort. The homunculus never opened its eyes.

The magical creation holding the remaining shreds of Voldemort's soul was ripped apart, splattering the chair, the fireplace, and the floor with gore. It made a sickening squelching sound that turned Harry's stomach. Without another thought, he turned on his heel and left the room, descending the stairs to find Hermione, Neville, and Sirius waiting for him.

"It's done," Harry said flatly.

"We can tell, mate," Neville said with a grin. "He's all over you." Neville held up the snake's head and the sword. "We've done our bit, too."

"Thanks, Nev," Harry said gratefully. "Let's go let Susan's aunt know."

Madam Bones had had Aurors at the home minutes after his arrival at the Ministry. He'd also submitted memory evidence of the destruction of each of the horcruxes, and the battle with the basilisk, incidentally. Sirius passed over all the horcruxes, including the head of Nagini. Harry didn't tell anyone that he was the seventh horcrux. Madam Bones thanked him and promised to follow up with him if she needed more information, but Harry assumed that meant never, as the file should be closed. Harry, Sirius, Hermione, and Neville had returned to Grimmauld Place, where Neville bid them a good night and left. After a simple dinner, Hermione followed Harry back to his room, and the two promptly fell asleep. Sirius turned in shortly thereafter, having looked in on the two and smiled.

The next day's _Daily Prophet_ was awash with the story. The headline blared "Voldemort Dead For Good!" Below the headline was a photo of Harry blasting the homunculus to bits. Harry had given them a memory of the event. Below the fold, yet still prominently displayed, was a photo of Neville bringing the Sword of Gryffindor down on Nagini's neck. Harry and Neville were touted as heroes.

The Friday before they were to return to Hogwarts, Madam Bones knocked on the door of Number 12. Sirius let her in and led her to the library, where Harry and Hermione were reading.

"Mr. Potter," she began. "We've reviewed the memories you've given us, though there were some bits that seemed incomplete."

"How can I help?" Harry asked, putting his book down.

"The first horcrux you destroyed was the diary, correct?" Madam Bones asked, sitting on the ottoman.

"That's right," Harry affirmed. "It was the beginning of my second year."

"The diary itself," Madam Bones continued. "It was already in the Chamber of Secrets when you arrived?"

"No," Harry said. "I took it there."

"Why did you do that?" she asked.

"Because I needed to destroy it," Harry explained.

"Where did you get the diary?" she asked.

"I stole it from Ginny Weasley at Flourish and Blotts," Harry stated. "Lucius Malfoy had slipped it into her cauldron in order to get her to unleash the basilisk at Hogwarts and kill muggleborn students."

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"I watched him slip the diary into her cauldron during a contrived verbal altercation with Mr. Weasley," Harry replied.

"And how did you know it needed to be destroyed?" she asked.

"I knew that Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley were not friendly," he explained. "I knew that anything that Mr. Malfoy gave to any Weasley would not be with the best intentions. So, rather than let his plans go off without a hitch, I swiped the diary from her." Here he lied a bit. "The rest of the plan I got from the diary. When you write in the diary, it writes back. Or, rather, it did before I stabbed it with the basilisk fang."

"And how did you know there was a basilisk?" Madam Bones asked.

"The diary told me," Harry lied. "It told me about the basilisk, what a horcrux was, and how Malfoy planned everything. I can provide a memory of Mr. Malfoy dropping the diary in Ginny's cauldron at Flourish and Blotts, as well as a memory of me writing in the diary."

"That would be helpful," Madam Bones allowed. She dug in her handbag and pulled out two memory vials.

Harry obliged her by adding the memories of the confrontation in the store as well as him discovering how the diary worked, both from his previous life. He handed them back.

"The next one you destroyed was the diadem?" she asked.

"That's right," Harry agreed. "The diary told me where all the other horcruxes were that it knew about." That wasn't really a lie, more a distortion of the truth. The diary wouldn't have known about any other horcruxes as it had been made first. "Then I did the locket, the cup, and the ring. Neville took care of the snake. Those were all done over various holidays."

"Very well," she said. "Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"Not that I can think of," Harry replied.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Madam Bones finished. "You've been very helpful, and we all owe you a great debt." Harry waved the compliment off as Madam Bones left.

New Years Day found Harry and his friends back aboard the Hogwarts Express steaming north. They had just left the station when the door banged open revealing Draco and his goons. No one had had a chance to speak before Draco sent a piercing hex at Harry. Harry wandlessly deflected the hex into the ceiling, then reached out, and ripped Draco's wand from his hand.

"It's about time you learned that talking never did you any favours," Harry observed. "Now if only I could get you to see that actions are about as effective… Why don't you ever just leave us alone."

"I know you're behind why my father got arrested last night," Draco sneered.

"Was he?" Harry asked. "I hadn't heard."

"You know he was," Draco shot back. "And I'm going to get you for ruining my family!"

"Tsk, tsk," Harry shook his head, frowning. "Here I thought Slytherin was known for its cunning, and you've gone and given your whole game away."

"I…" Draco began haltingly. "I… Screw you, Potter! Give me my wand back!"

"No," Harry said. "I don't think I will. I'll be giving it to Professor McGonagall when we get to Hogwarts. You might be able to get it back from her." Draco lunged at him, but Harry easily deflected his lunge, causing him to end up on the floor of the compartment with an entry-level Auror move. "Come now, Draco," Harry said, imitating Lucius Malfoy, "brawling like a common muggle. I'm so disappointed in you."

"Ergh!" Draco said, hauling himself to his feet. Without another word, he stalked from the compartment, slamming the door behind him. Harry twirled the wand in his hand before pocketing it.

"I think Madam Bones would like to see this," he said casually, patting his pocket. "This way she could get a hat trick: all three Malfoys in one week." The compartment broke into laughs.

True to his word, he handed the wand over to McGonagall while informing him Susan was calling the Aurors over an assassination attempt on the Hogwarts Express. After supper, an auror arrived to take his statement, as well as the statements of his friends. These included obtaining memory evidence. They then interviewed Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy. Finally, they took the wand from McGonagall and performed _priori incatatem_ on it, revealing the last spell cast had been a piercing hex. Malfoy was hauled away to a holding cell pending the completion of the investigation, which would involve viewing the memories and a veritasserum interview. Snape glowered, but said nothing.

On Monday morning, the _Prophet_ had all the news. All three Malfoys were in holding cells while under investigation. Harry's horcrux evidence had led to a search of the Malfoys' Wiltshire estate, which had turned up so many illegal items as to beggar belief. Aside from stolen property, there were charges stemming from offices as varied as the Improper Use of Magic Office and the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures' Beast Division. A large cache of muggle drugs were also discovered.

When his bank accounts had been subsequently audited, a whole new ant hill was kicked over. There was solid evidence for years of bribing ministry officials, school board officials, and international officials. The biggest beneficiaries of Malfoy largess were Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, Senior Undersecretary Delores Umbridge, and the previous Minister for Magic Millicent Bagnold. In fact, it seemed like the only people Lucius hadn't tried to bribe were Dumbledore, Mr. Weasley, Madam Bones, and Madam Longbottom. From the investigation it seemed like most of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was clean, or at least the Auror Corps was. The dirtiest department was the Minister's Office, followed by the Department of Magical Transportation and the Department of Magical Education.

Narcissa Malfoy was charged as an accomplice and co-conspirator. There was a small column inside with the story of Draco's incarceration.

The next day, the _Prophet_ was full of calls for the Minister to resign. Several other officials had already done so. By the end of the week, the Minister was gone, as was half the Hogwarts Board of Governors, the heads of the Departments of Magical Transportation, and Magical Education.

The Wizengamot was in havoc. Under veritasserum, Lucius had named names and confessed that the imperious curse defense was a huge fraud. Several other arrests had been made subsequently of prominent wizards with names like Carrow, Crabbe, Goyle, McNair, Rowle, Selwyn, and Travers. Somehow, Snape was overlooked. With Dumbledore no longer running the show, the trials were fast but fair, and they were all sentenced to life in Azkaban. The Friday _Prophet_ featured the photos of all the Death Eaters that had been convicted that week.

In one fell swoop, the conservative faction of the Wizengamot was obliterated. With Dumbledore out of the way, new liberal leaders took the reins: Abbott, Black, Bones, Diggory, MacMillan, and Longbottom. Sirius Black joined Amelia Bones and Augusta Longbottom on the Hogwarts Board, while Amos Diggory took up the mantle of Minister for Magic after a brief contest with Rufus Scrimgeour. Ernie's father, Michael MacMillan was appointed Chief Warlock, replacing Cyrus Greengrass, the temporary placeholder until a permanent replacement for Dumbledore could be made.

At the end of the week, things were back to normal, with the Harpies and the Revenge duking it out on the quidditch pitch to a Harpies victory. After the quidditch match that first weekend, Harry sought out Cedric, ostensibly to congratulate him for his father netting the Minister position.

"Thanks, Harry," Cedric replied, not really paying much attention.

"So'd you figure out the egg yet?" Harry asked, nonchalantly.

"Hm? Oh, yeah," Cedric answered. "It was Mermish, and I had to listen to it underwater. That stopped the screeching. Apparently, they're gonna take something I treasure and hide it underwater. I'll have an hour to look for it and get it back."

"Wow," Harry faked amazement. "Have you worked out how to do it yet?" Harry didn't wait for Cedric to reply, instead forging ahead. "I mean, you could use the bubble-head charm, but then you'd have to concentrate on maintaining it the whole time. You could transfigure yourself into a fish, but that would be really hard to get right. I suppose if it was me, I'd just take a bunch of gillyweed and call it a day."

"Uh…" Cedric stuttered, finally paying close attention. "Yeah, I'd considered some of those options. Gillyweed, you say?"

"You know, the magical plant that gives you gills and makes your feet a little longer with webbing between your toes and fingers?" Harry asked, as though of course everyone knew about Gillyweed. "I think Snape's got some in his supply room, or you could order it through the owl post, since you've got time."

"Right," Cedric agreed. "That does sound easier."

"Anyway," Harry said, bringing the conversation to a close, "I'd better be getting back. Hermione's probably wondering where I got off too."

Harry enjoyed smashing the Slytherin team the following week, completely outclassing the second year they found to replace Malfoy at seeker. In the classroom, Harry was spending more time learning, and less time goofing off. That, and the cooling of the ongoing war with Professor Snape in the potions classroom, meant that Harry's grades were the highest he'd ever had. He was getting very close to displacing Hermione from the top spot. The only thing holding him back was knowing how hard Hermione would take it if she lost that distinction. Wanting to please his girlfriend he suffered the hardship of studying slightly less than she did.

January and February passed in relative peace for Harry otherwise. The last week of January the Ravens beat the Badgers, with the Beaux Dépliants falling to the Revenge the next weekend. Durmstrang continued their undefeated streak beating the Harpies the week after that. The last week before the second task Harry handily snagged the snitch, beating the Beaux Dépliants. Harry was slightly sorry for the Beauxbatons team that they weren't doing any better, but apparently the French school's focus for sport was on dueling.

The last Friday in February, Hermione had been called to the Headmistress' office that night, and returned ten minutes later.

"The bloody nerve!" she squeaked, plopping into the seat next to Harry.

"What happened, love?" Harry asked, guessing the answer.

"The Heads of the schools were all there," she began. "Cho Chang was there, as was a girl who I think was Fleur's sister. She was really young. Anyway, they asked us to be hostages for the second task, as they'd determined we would be who the champions would sorely miss."

"Who were you there for?" Harry asked innocently.

"Viktor Krum!" Hermione nearly shrieked. "Can you believe it? I told him no months ago. You took me to the Yule Ball. Everyone who's got eyes knows we're together. But they asked me to be Krum's hostage!"

"I take it you gave them a piece of your mind," Harry suggested.

"Too right," Hermione agreed. "I pointed out the flaws in their reasoning, and told them they needed to find another hostage for Krum. I suggested the girl he took to the ball. Then I left."

"Sounds awfully polite when you put it that way," Harry chuckled. Hermione blushed.

"Well, I might've been a little more… insistent," Hermione allowed.

"Was there shouting, stomping, and door slamming?" Harry asked.

"There might have been," Hermione agreed.

"Thanks, 'Mione," Harry said, grinning. "You've made my night." He kissed her soundly, and kept the grin on his face for the rest of the day.

Harry and the rest of the school trouped down to the Black Lake the next morning, where they watched the three competitors plunge into the lake. Once they contestants had gone underwater, Harry turned to Hermione. "So we've got an hour," he said. "What d'you want to do?"

"Did you see that Cedric used your Gillyweed idea?" she asked.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "He went with the bubble-head charm last time, but I think this'll work better for him." They spent the balance of the hour playing gin rummy, as neither of them appreciated singeing their eyebrows off playing exploding snap.

Fleur was the first to appear, near the fifteen minute mark. She was alone. Cedric was the next to reappear, with Cho, near the forty-five minute mark. Harry was glad for him, and for Hogwarts. Krum appeared with his hostage, who Harry didn't recognize, with five minutes to spare. Cedric won handily, with full marks. Krum, being later but within time, also received good marks. Fleur was given a token number of points for her bubble-head charm.

In March, the quidditch pitch was commandeered by the Triwizard Committee. Harry was forced to set up an alternate pitch on the front lawn, which McGonagall agreed to after some argument. The informal quidditch league continued on schedule with the Harpies defeating the Badgers the first weekend in March. The next weekend, Durmstrang beat the Ravens. The following weekend Slytherin beat the Revenge.

Harry took the Lions to victory over the Harpies in a hard-fought match. The Harpies, an all-girl team, were actually surprisingly good. About half the team were Slytherin girls who were 'discouraged' from trying out for the Slytherin team. Millicent Bullstrode was their best beater, while Tracey Davis was a quality chaser. Harry thought Slytherin was pretty stupid for refusing their services, as Millicent was better than both Crabbe and Goyle, and Tracey would've probably beat out one of the chasers.

April saw no change for Harry academically, though he did stop in to congratulate Cedric on his victory in the second task.

"So, Harry," Cedric said casually. "Any thoughts on the final task?"

"Well," Harry said, thoughtfully. "I did overhear Hagrid talking about some of the creatures he was getting."

"Oh?" Cedric asked, feigning disinterest.

"He said something about Blast-Ended Screwts, Acromantulas, a Boggart, and a Sphinx," Harry said conspiratorially.

"Hmm," Cedric said. "I'll have to study those a little more then. Thanks, Harry."

"No problem, Cedric," Harry replied.

In April the Badgers beat the Beaux Dépliants, the Ravens beat the Revenge, Durmstrang beat Slytherin, and Harry's Lions beat the Revenge as well. The Revenge seemed to be the place that all the extras went that no-one else wanted. There were a lot of second and third years playing, and they were very uncoordinated. They didn't train much, but they looked like they were having an absolute blast on the pitch, despite their losses.

May saw Durmstrang beat the Badgers, the Ravens beat the Beaux Dépliants, and Slytherin take down the Harpies. The real match came at the end of the month. It was the highly anticipated showdown between the Lions, led by Harry, and Durmstrang, with Viktor Krum.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Three Cups**

May 27, 1995 dawned bright and clear. Harry had breakfast with his friends at the Hufflepuff table. He ate light, conscious of the challenge before him that day. There were butterflies in his stomach, of that he was sure. Though this wasn't a 'serious' or 'official' game, there was school honour at stake, as well as personal honour. After breakfast, he and Neville retreated to the fourth year boys' dorm so Harry could ready himself. He pulled out his broom, and carefully prepared it with his broom servicing kit. Then he donned his quidditch armour and the jersey that the Lions had adopted. It was a deep red with gold trim and a rampant lion on the left breast. The back had his number, 7, and 'POTTER' across the back in gold lettering.

With a wordless nod to Neville, Harry grabbed his broom and started down the stairs. In the common room he met Alicia, Angelina, Katie, Fred, and George. With nods all around, they exited the portrait hole and descended to the entry hall where they met Ernie. There was no-one else around.

Then they stepped outside and the world exploded. Harry was blinded by the sunlight, so the noise hit him first. As his eyes adjusted, he could see the entire student body, most of the professors, and what seemed like half of Wizarding Britain on the front lawn surrounding the quidditch pitch. He walked towards the pitch with the others to cheers. Harry spotted Sirius and Remus, and Amos Diggory, and Augusta Longbottom. Looking around, he saw the ramparts of the castle were full as well, as everyone wanted to watch this game. Harry's heart sank as he knew why: the Boy-Who-Lived was squaring off against World Cup darling Viktor Krum. This was far and away the largest group of fans any game had seen.

Harry, who'd been elected captain by general acclaim, led the team up to where Madam Hooch was standing. She'd agreed to continue to referee matches, despite their less than official nature.

"Good luck," she whispered to him. Then she applied a sonorous charm and began explaining the rules. Harry shook hands with Viktor, and retreated to his side. Like official games at Hogwarts in years past, Lee Jordan was announcing. As the designated visitors, the Durmstrang team took the pitch first, with Lee calling out the names as they flew. Krum, announced last, got what sounded like the loudest cheers. Then Lee started calling out the Lions'. Harry mounted his broom, and waited. When it was his turn, he shot into the air and his name was called. The applause erupted around him, dwarfing the acclaim given to Krum by a wide margin. It heartened him to know he was the one most of the spectators were pulling for.

Madam Hooch released the bludgers, followed by the quaffle. The bludgers shot into the air, with Fred getting first whack, sending a bludger directly into the Durmstrang chaser who'd snagged the quaffle. He dropped it, straight into the waiting arms of Alicia Spinnet. As Madam Hooch released the snitch, the quaffle flew through the Durmstrang hoops, ten to nil, Lions. The crowd roared.

Harry quickly lost track of the game going on around him as he searched for the snitch. Harry briefly glanced at Krum, but then disregarded him. Harry didn't pace the other seeker. It wasn't his style of play. Harry narrowly avoided a bludger sent at him by a Durmstrang beater. The score increased to twenty to nil, Lions, when Katie fired the quaffle through the right hoop, just out of reach of the Durmstrang keeper.

Harry increased speed, and flew over to the Durmstrang hoops. Krum saw, and followed, but peeled off when he realized that Harry hadn't seen anything. Harry had decided to always change locations at full speed, hoping this would distract Krum and eventually desensitize him to quick movements from Harry. Harry would need every advantage. He spent a good five minutes near the Durmstrang hoops, searching for the snitch. He didn't find it.

When Angelina upped the score again to thirty to nil, Harry quit the Durmstrang hoops, dodged another bludger, and joined the chaser line as they pursued the quaffle back towards the Lions' hoops. Harry managed to break up the Durmstrang play by feinting a snitch sighting, and the quaffle returned to the Lions'. As the chaser trio advanced down the pitch, Harry remained behind, searching near the Lions' hoops.

Harry briefly checked on Krum, who was circling high above the pitch, looking down. Then he dove quickly towards the grass. Krum followed, but was far enough back that he abandoned pursuit when Harry broke off the dive and circled the bottom of the Durmstrang hoops. Harry noticed, but didn't care. He wasn't trying to execute a Wronski Feint, he was trying to lull Krum into a false sense of security.

Harry's next move, following another Lions' goal, was to rocket up across the pitch, breaking up another Durmstrang play, and distracting Krum again. From his ending position, circling above the Lion's hoops, Harry had a commanding view of the pitch. He spent another five minutes scanning for the snitch. During that time, Durmstrang managed to score their first goal, sending the score to seventy to ten, Lions.

The sun retreated behind the clouds, making the seeker's job that much more difficult. Harry responded by diving straight down, blocking the quaffle on his way past, and denying another score to Durmstrang. Krum saw the move and followed for a few lengths, before he realized that Harry was just shooting around again. Harry pulled up short of the ground and hovered near the base of the Lion's hoops.

The cloud passed, and the sun came back out. The quaffle was again near the Durmstrang hoops. Fred and George had successfully kept the bludgers away from Harry and the chaser trio. It was obvious that the Durmstrang team, while good, wasn't at the same level of play that Krum, or even the Lions were at. It made Harry feel a little better. Still, the evasive snitch was starting to bother him. He sped along the rope line that denoted the edge of the pitch, screaming by the fans just below him on his Firebolt. He wasn't really looking for the snitch, just trying to keep Krum occupied.

He shot straight up in front of the Durmstrang hoops, blocking the pass from the keeper to one of his chasers, and deflecting it to Katie, who scored again. Lee shouted, "One hundred twenty to twenty, Lions!" Soon, Harry reasoned, it wouldn't matter who caught the snitch, the Lions would win.

Suddenly, Harry caught a glint of gold near the middle of the field, just below the play going on. Harry was off like a shot, angling to pass right through the Durmstrang chasers. Krum started after Harry, but stopped, assuming it was just another maneuver. Harry did indeed break up the play, returning the quaffle to Lions possession, but he was after the snitch.

"Harry, dive!" cried Fred from just above. Without a thought, Harry pitched even further down, pressing his head against his broom to increase speed. He could feel the woosh of air as the bludger passed right where his chest would've been if he hadn't maneuvered. But when he recovered and looked, the snitch had gone.

Harry resumed searching for the snitch around the Lions' hoops, flying back and forth near Ernie. Krum then decided it was time to up his game. He shot for the ground. Harry was off in hot pursuit. Halfway through the maneuver, Harry spotted the Wronski Feint. There was no glint in front of Krum. Harry aborted the pursuit, and watched as Krum pulled up to resume searching. Krum frowned when he saw Harry circling twenty meters above him near the middle of the pitch. Harry shrugged in response.

Over the next ten minutes of play, Harry continued his practice of zooming from one spot to another, searching for the snitch. Krum continued to ignore him, and refrained from attempting any more tricks. It was from his spot below the play near the Lions' hoops that he spotted it again.

The snitch was following a Durmstrang chaser, pacing his broom, just below the bristles. Harry realized that that was close to the same position he'd seen the snitch in before. Harry quickly maneuvered to a spot from which he could begin pursuit, keeping a wary eye on the snitch the entire time. It never stopped tracking the chaser. To a casual observer, it looked like Harry was setting up to disrupt the play again.

From a position behind and below the play, Harry moved. He exploded forward, urging his broom faster, rolling the broom to escape a bludger that threatened to unseat him. He refrained from extending his hand and giving away the game.

"Potter moves to break up the play…" Lee commentated. He was three meters away and closing fast. The hand came out. "NO!" Lee shouted. "He's seen the snitch!" Without looking, Harry knew Krum was reacting. Harry didn't need the distraction. He rolled again to escape another bludger before bringing the Firebolt into a sharp right turn dive, following the snitch. One meter. The snitch was racing for the ground. Half a meter. Harry put on more speed. The ground was closing in at an astonishing rate. Mere centimeters remained. Harry could almost touch it. In his peripheral vision, Harry saw Krums arm, outstretched as well. The Bulgarian wasn't close enough.

Half a heartbeat before his broom ploughed into the ground, Harry's hand closed around the snitch and Harry yanked back on his broom handle. He felt the grass tickle his knuckle as he flew millimeters above the dirt. A loud crash behind him told Harry that Krum had crashed.

"Potter has the snitch!" Lee called as Harry held up his hand. "The Lions' have won the match three hundred to twenty! Potter has beaten Krum!" The crowd roared. The noise filled every corner of the field and reverberated off the castle walls. "Harry Potter has beaten World Cup seeker Viktor Krum to the snitch!" Harry pulled up slightly for a victory lap around the ad hoc stadium, returning to the ground near Madam Hooch to present her with the snitch. He was instantly surrounded by his teammates.

"I think we'll retire that one," Madam Hooch told Harry when he tried to return the snitch to her. "Why don't you keep it?" Harry beamed at her before being carried away by his teammates and fans. He was carried bodily into the castle. Before he passed the doors, he glanced back and saw the Durmstrang team helping Viktor hobble back to the Durmstrang ship. Harry hoped he'd be ok in time for the final task four weeks later.

The party went on for the rest of the day. The lunch meal was replaced with a sumptuous feast. Professor McGonagall personally awarded him twenty points for "an outstanding bit of flying." Sirius and the other adults all found him and congratulated him as well. He was introduced to a newspaper reporter from the _Prophet_ , to whom he talked for a brief period, but couldn't later remember what he'd said.

He finally found himself seated at the Gryffindor table eating the feast. With their mouths full, most of the students had quieted down.

"You do realize that this means the Lions win the quidditch cup this year," Neville said. "You've won all seven of your games. No one else can match you now."

"It's all informal, Nev," Harry replied. "This isn't an official league. There's no cup. Heck, they aren't even house teams. Ernie's a Hufflepuff."

"Yes, and he seems to be getting all their attention," Hermione observed.

"Well, he did keep out all but two goals," Neville pointed out.

"And Susan isn't going to let anyone get closer than her," Hannah said without looking up. Harry looked over, and saw Ernie at the Hufflepuff table, arm firmly around Susan, whose arm was firmly around him.

"That's the truth," Harry agreed.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you start getting looks—I mean serious looks—from the pros now," Neville said after a brief pause.

"What'd you mean?" Harry asked. "I'm just a fourth year."

"Krum played in the World Cup at sixteen," Hermione pointed out. "He was obviously playing long before that."

"Three years before that," Neville informed them.

"He was playing professionally at thirteen?" Harry asked, incredulously.

"Yep," Neville said. "Some team in Greece. Forget the name. They're not in the British league, obviously."

"I don't think one win over Viktor Krum is enough to get me a look from some pro scout," Harry said, dismissively.

"I think you're wrong," Neville replied. "It wasn't just one win over Krum, was it? It was seven wins this year, and wins in pretty much every match you've played before that."

"But those are school matches," Harry protested.

"So?" Neville asked. "Where do you think scouts go to look for new players? They go to school matches. I know for a fact that scouts have already seen you play."

"When?" Harry asked, shocked.

"Every year you've played," Neville revealed. "There's a pro scout at every game Hogwarts hosts. Not every team sends scouts, but at least one's been at every game."

"They were looking at me my first year?" Harry pressed.

"Not to start," Neville allowed. "I know Puddlemere and the Arrows were scouting Wood. Last year the Harpies started looking at the Gryffindor chaser line. This year they're seriously looking at the Gryffindor chaser line. I'd expect Alicia and Angelina to get contract offers next year and Katie the following year. Reserve to start. But Gwenog Jones isn't getting any younger. The Cannons and Bats have seriously scouted the twins. They'll probably get an offer too. Don't you know how good the Gryffindor quidditch team is?"

"I…" Harry sputtered. "I guess I'd never really thought about it before."

"You're a powerhouse team," Neville said. "A once in a century compilation of talent. The scouts have noticed."

"So, what," Harry asked. "Do they expect me to quit school?"

"No, no," Neville replied. "The pro teams will watch you, and wait until you've finished your NEWTs, unless they're desperate. The Cannons might offer you a spot on their team, with the stipulation that you practice with the Gryffindor team during the school year, and can get off for games. But mostly, they'll leave you alone. It's really only the national team scouts you have to watch out for."

"But Krum…" Harry trailed off.

"Krum wanted to play," Neville informed him. "Krum's dad sought a contract as early as he could. That team in Greece didn't look for him, he looked for them. You're different. You probably want to wait."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "I don't even know if I want to play professional quidditch. I mean they're gone a lot." He thought back to his previous life where Ginny played seeker for the Harpies. She'd been gone a lot on the road, and before she broke his heart, he'd missed her.

"What are you talking about, Harry?" Neville asked. "Most pro quidditch players are home every night. They get portkeys to the games the day before that bring them back that night. The only time they're gone overnight is if the game doesn't end on time."

"But…" Harry said, lost. "I thought they spent the time in hotels when they played on the road."

"Why would you think that?" Neville asked. "Players get a better night's sleep in their own beds. Why would they sleep in hotel beds that are unfamiliar when they can get to the pitch from home with a portkey? That would be detrimental to their rest plans."

"Oh," Harry said sadly, realizing that Ginny had used his muggle roots to help cheat on him. It dawned on him that when she'd claimed to be 'on the road' she'd really been 'on Dean Thomas.' "Still, I'm not sure I want to play professional quidditch. I'm famous enough."

Sure enough, the next day two owls dropped to Harry's place at breakfast. The Chudley Cannons and the Genoa Gattos both offered Harry contracts as not reserve, but starting seekers.

"They're both terrible teams," Neville observed. The Cannons are bottom of the British League, and have been for forever. The Gattos I've never heard of, which can't be good. Plus, you don't speak Italian."

"I wonder why you didn't get an offer from the English national team," Hermione wondered.

"Probably because it's another four years before the World Cup is played again," Neville posited.

"Hmm," Hermione replied, thoughtfully.

"Either way," Harry continued. "I'm saying no to these. I want to wait until I'm done school."

"That's a good choice," Hermione told him. The conversation petered out as the friends finished their meals. Harry noticed Ron sitting nearby with Dean and Seamus, scowling at Harry. He didn't know whether Ron was upset because the Cannons wanted him to play for them and not Ron, or whether by not electing to play for the Cannons he was dooming them to at least several more years of poor results. It seemed to Harry that even Ron didn't know why he was upset.

May passed into June, with the first three Saturdays occupied with more quidditch. The Revenge beat out the Badgers, the Harpies beat out the Ravens, and Slytherin beat out the Beaux Dépliants.

The only major event of the spring outside of the Lions versus Durmstrang quidditch game was the publication of the results of the various investigations by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Despite Dumbledore being forced to flee, and a host of Death Eaters being incarcerated, the investigations into wrongdoing by all parties continued, though additional charges were held in abeyance until such time as additional trials might be beneficial. Most of the Death Eaters were in for life, so it didn't make much difference in those cases. In any event, all the facts were published in several thick bound volumes, the important bits of which were reprinted for all to see in the _Daily Prophet_. All this really led to was another round of gossip and print attacks on Dumbledore, who hadn't been seen since September 1991.

That second to last week in June was something of a blur for Harry, as he had several end of year tests that fell that week, including Ancient Runes, Astronomy, Charms, History of Magic, and Potions. The next week would see Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, and Transfiguration.

The night after the last quidditch game, Harry had his nose buried in his Transfiguration text at dinner. During the pudding, McGonagall rose and cleared her throat.

"As many of you are aware, the Hogwarts Quidditch League was suspended this year due to the Tri-Wizard Tournament," she began. "Many of you refused to take that as a final decision, and formed your own intramural league this year. As an avid fan of the sport myself, I took great pride in your resourcefulness, dedication, and ingenuity. Many of the matches this year were on par with, or better than, other matches I've been privileged to see in my years here at Hogwarts. To honour the spirit in which these games were played, I've decided that Hogwarts shall award the Quidditch Cup this year, as in any other. This year, with seven victories and no defeats, the Quidditch Cup goes to the Lions! Will team captain Harry Potter please come up to be awarded the trophy?"

Harry rose in disbelief and padded to the front of the hall. Behind him, the other members of the Lions rose and followed, pursued by applause, especially from the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables.

"It is my great pleasure to award you this trophy," McGonagall said as she handed it to Harry. "I expect it back by the end of the night, so it can be displayed in the trophy room until next year." She winked at him. Behind him, the hall was going crazy. She pointed at the decorations and changed the banners to deep red and gold. The house crests faded away from each and the Lions' logo appeared. Each also bore the name of a different Lions player and their quidditch number.

Harry spun round and held the cup aloft, and the cheering increased. He passed it off to Fred Weasley, who passed it off again, and so-on until every team member had gotten to hold it. Harry got it back, and noticed it was inscribed. 'Lions, 1994-1995' sat on the last line, below generations worth of 'Gryffindor,' 'Hufflepuff,' 'Ravenclaw,' and 'Slytherin." The Lions would thus be emblazoned on a piece of history forever: distinct and unique. Harry smiled, and handed the cup back to McGonagall.

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said.

The last weekend of June saw exams done. Harry felt he'd done well. All that was left was the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The last Saturday of term, Harry and his friends walked down to the quidditch pitch after dinner to watch the last task. Cedric, Viktor, and Fleur were all there wearing what looked like muggle athletic gear.

Harry actually thought the whole thing was rather boring. All the spectators could see were the walls of the maze and the entrance. One by one, the three contestants entered the maze. Cedric went first, followed shortly by Krum. Fleur entered last. Then there was nothing but waiting.

The audience could see bright lights and explosions, and they could hear noises coming from the hedges, but they couldn't see any real action. Eventually, the sights and sounds faded into the background. Harry and Hermione started playing gin rummy again, while Neville and Hannah discussed herbology.

After about an hour, there was a blood curdling scream from inside the maze that caused everyone to look up, but the excitement faded when nothing else happened. Nearing the two hour mark there was a bright flash near the entrance, and Cedric appeared holding the Tri-Wizard Cup.

Professors on broomstick, who'd been monitoring the event from the air, swooped in and extracted the other two contestants, returning them to the entrance. The professors then conferred briefly with the three school heads. Eventually, they said something to Ludo Bagman, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and he walked to the podium. The three contestants were arrayed behind it.

"If I may have your attention!" Bagman shouted, bringing conversations to a standstill. "It is my pleasure to announce that the winner of this Tri-Wizard Tournament is Hogwart's own Cedric Diggory!" There was massive applause, and Cedric stepped forward to hoist the trophy for all to see. As the applause subsided, Ludo continued, "In second place, both by points and by dint of position in the maze, Durmstrang's Viktor Krum!" There was more applause. Viktor nodded curtly, obviously put out by the whole thing. "Finally, in third place is Beauxbaton's Fleur Delacour." Slight applause accompanied this last announcement. "Thank you all for attending this iteration of the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

The official party stuck around for a while, milling about, but with the main excitement over, the students and other spectators made their way back to the castle. Harry went almost immediately to bed. The hell he had seen in his other life had officially been dealt with in its entirety.

The last week of term saw the departure of the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons delegations. Harry was ambivalent about the whole thing. It seemed like at long last, Harry could concentrate on what was important to him and his friends. Suddenly, he didn't know what that was. He'd have to think on it.

The House Cup was awarded during the leaving feast on Friday night. It was an anti-climax. It had been a tight race that year, with Cedric earning a slew of points for good performance during the tournament. Harry had also earned a number of points associated with the intramural quidditch league. Still, the Ravenclaws came out on top that year, which suited Harry just fine. He already had the Quidditch Cup, and Hufflepuff had the Tri-Wizard Cup. Only the Slytherins had been left out that year.

It wasn't until the train ride home that Harry became thoughtful again.

"What should I do with my life?" Harry asked when he sat down. The Hufflepuffs hadn't arrived in the compartment yet, and it was just the three Gryffindors.

"What did you do in your old life?" Neville asked.

"Married Ginny and became an Auror," Harry answered. "I know I don't want to do the first bit."

"What about the second bit?" Hermione asked.

"I don't really know," Harry replied. "I've had enough fighting too last a hundred lifetimes."

"You could pick up a professional quidditch contract," Neville pointed out.

"I've had enough of fame too," Harry countered. "Anything else?"

"Well, there's any number of things you could do," Hermione offered. "There's teaching, like Sirius. There's politics, like Madam Longbottom. There's government service like Mr. Weasley. There's entrepreneurship, like Florean Fortescue…"

"Or you could just live the life of a country gentleman, and do nothing," Neville said. "You've got enough money." There was a pause. "But you'll probably be pulled into politics regardless of what you do, because you've got a seat on the Wizegamot."

"Three actually," Harry said. "Potter, Gryffindor, and Peverell."

"Four," Hermione corrected. "You picked up Slytherin when you triumphed over Tom Riddle. You should probably go see Gringotts about his vaults."

"Those were all confiscated by the Ministry," Neville reported. "Didn't you read the expose in the paper a few weeks ago?"

"Well, the ring should still be around," Hermione suggested. "You should still check."

"Fine," Harry huffed. "Politics, it is. But maybe I'll be a teacher too."

"You'd probably be a great teacher, Harry," Susan said as she came into the compartment with the other Hufflepuffs trailing behind. The three settled down, and the conversation shifted gradually, rolling across topics as the train traveled south.

When the train pulled into King's Cross, Harry was, as usual, one of the last to alight. Hermione was with him as he greeted Sirius.

"Excuse me," came a voice from behind him. "If I may have a word?"

"Yes?" Harry asked, turning to face Molly Weasley.

"Are you happy with yourself?" she asked harshly.

"Fairly," Harry replied, nonplussed. "But I suppose you have a follow-on comment regardless of my answer, and were expecting to put me off guard with your question. Continue."

"Albus Dumbledore…" she began.

"Is being sought by the authorities for crimes against my family and my guardian," Harry finished.

"Only you have the power to call off the search," Mrs. Weasley begged. "Only you can forgive him."

"Why would I do that?" he asked. "He's wronged my family. He shall reap what he's sown."

"Revenge leads to darkness," Molly shot back. "Why not forgive him? That's the light path."

"I don't seek revenge," Harry replied. "And while I might forgive him, even if I do so, I can't stop the manhunt for him. I cannot cancel the arrest warrants."

"But…" Mrs. Weasley sputtered.

"Mrs. Weasley," Harry began. "You see a duality: revenge or forgiveness. I see a sliding scale. Revenge is on one end, and forgiveness on the other. Revenge is vigilantism, extreme punishment for the sake of salving my honour. Revenge brings pain. Forgiveness is knuckling under, allowing a man to walk free without punishment for his crimes. If he sees no consequence for his actions, he continues to break the law.

"The way I see it," Harry continued, "at the middle of the spectrum is justice. Mr. Dumbledore broke the law… many laws; laws we as a society have put in place to protect the less fortunate, the weak, the poor, the children, and the innocent. These laws are enforced by an impartial Ministry, specifically because they're impartial. They reduce the need to seek revenge and prevent people from going down a dark path. At the same time, they ensure that punishment is apportioned, and in the appropriate amount, so that the lawbreaker may learn that actions have consequences. Once Mr. Dumbledore has served his punishment, I will be more than happy to forgive him. Until that time, I can only aid the authorities in their search.

"To be honest," Harry concluded, "because of your words today, I'd recommend to Madam Bones that you be questioned under veritasserum with regards as to Mr. Dumbldore's whereabouts, though I doubt it would do much good. I'm betting that you'd be unable to provide his whereabouts, as I'm almost certain he's hiding under a fidelius charm. Pitty."

Without another word, Harry turned away from a stunned Mrs. Weasley. Harry had seen the minute twitch in her eye that gave the game away. Mrs. Weasley was the secret keeper, or knew who was. Harry would bet the farm on it. He made a mental note to pass that information along to Madam Bones when he saw her the next day.

 **Epilogue: And the Rest of the Story**

Molly Weasley was arrested on Monday for aiding in the flight of a fugitive from justice. She had been the secret keeper, and was one of Dumbledore's last remaining loyal followers. Harry didn't really care. Mr. Weasley, it came out, was completely unaware of his wife's machinations, and was allowed to retain his position. Her children were, likewise, not punished for their mother's actions, to Harry's relief.

Dumbledore was subdued during a nighttime raid on the house he was hiding in. Wardbreakers had deactivated all the wards around the house, and he was stunned while asleep. The trial was perhaps the biggest thing in the living memory of most people. Once subdued, and fed veritasserum, the secrets just came pouring out. The interrogation alone took two weeks, and law enforcement officials were there the whole time recording his confession. Teams were sent out to confirm his testimony and brought back hoards of evidence against the man.

It came out that in addition to his actions towards Sirius, and his scheming with Molly, he'd tipped off the LeStranges as to the location of Neville's parents. The wards he'd placed over 4 Privet Drive had actually encouraged the Dursleys to treat Harry poorly. Dumbledore'd been the one who'd given Riddle the book that told him almost everything he'd known about horcruxes, which caused Tom to begin his discent into madness. Thanks to his legilimency skill, Dumbledore had known who every Death Eater was, and furthermore, did nothing to stop them. He even knowingly encouraged them, hoping to enhance his fame once Voldemort and the Death Eaters were finally defeated. The list of crimes continued for twenty-seven feet of parchment.

In August, Dumbledore was sentenced to be sent through the veil. The punishment was executed with Harry and Sirius present.

The rest of the summer was spent in the company of his godfather and friends. Harry went out almost daily with Hermione, and their relationship blossomed.

In July, the Hogwarts Board of Governors announced it would be cleaning shop. Snape was fired. Binns was fired too, but couldn't be banished from the castle, so they simply directed McGonagall to hire a replacement professor and hold the class in a different classroom. Burbage was taken to task over the out-of-date material she was teaching. She was given a year's notice to update her class or she'd be fired and replaced with a recent muggleborn graduate.

In August, Harry and Hermione received their Hogwarts letters. Sirius had made them both prefects. The OWL year was difficult, but in the end, Harry emerged with all Os, including the highest OWL ever recorded in Defense. Hermione walked away with all Os too, including the highest ever recorded in Transfiguration and Charms. Neville and Hannah also earned all Os, which made them happy. Susan and Ernie didn't earn all Os, but they didn't care, because they did well enough, and were too wrapped up with each other.

Sixth year passed uneventfully for Harry. The biggest blip was when Susan and Ernie broke up at Christmas. They had a huge row, and Ernie ended up distancing himself from the group. Harry tried to make amends, but Ernie politely rebuffed him. Ernie started hanging out with Wayne Hopkins and Stephen Cornfoot. Susan spent the rest of the year casting about for a new beau, feeling left out. Eventually, she settled on Ravenclaw Kevin Entwhistle in May.

In July, Harry turned seventeen, and took up his lordship duties, including his spot on the Wizengamot. Harry opened Potter Manor, which had previously been closed off with strong war wards. He didn't move in, but convinced Dobby, who he'd purchased when the Malfoy Estate was dissolved, to begin cleaning it. He also met the other Potter elves, of which there were four.

Seventh year was perhaps the easiest for Harry, despite never having done it before. The work was focused, and made sense to him. Hermione kept his nose to the grind stone, and he studied hard. He passed his NEWTs with all Os, again losing out narrowly on points to Hermione. Again, his Defense NEWT was the highest score ever recorded.

Following graduation, Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Hannah elected to remain at Hogwarts to pursue masteries. Harry selected Defense. Hermione selected Charms. Neville chose Herbology. Hannah picked Ancient Runes. For two years the four pursued their masteries, teaching first and second year classes. Harry moved in to Potter Manor in the summers. Hermione and Hannah rented an apartment together in Hogsmeade. Neville remained at Long Hall.

After completing their masteries, Harry and Hermione married in a small ceremony at Potter Manor. Harry accepted the position of Defense Professor at Hogwarts after a year of getting his estate in order. Moody had wanted to retire permanently. Hermione became an Unspeakable; a position she held for ten years before becoming the Charms Professor at Hogwarts. They had two sons (James Sirius and Daniel Remus) and one daughter (Lily Emma). Neville and Hannah married the same summer that Harry and Hermione did. They started their own magical greenhouse. They had a son and three daughters, and shared high hopes with the Potters that their children would be as good of friends as they were.

Susan eventually married Eddie Charmichael, who'd been a year above her in Ravenclaw. She went on to work at the Ministry under her aunt. She had two sons.

Ron married Lavender Brown. After three years he told her the whole thing was a mistake. She moved out, but they remained married. He worked for a time in his brothers' joke shop, before quitting to make his own way. He bounced from job to job, eventually becoming a nighttime security guard. He had no children.

Ginny married Dean Thomas. She was a happy young woman, who became a shopkeeper in Diagon Alley. She and Dean had four children.

Draco spent the rest of his life in prison for attempted murder, and accessory to his father's crimes. He had no children.


End file.
